Police use water cannon to disperse protest near Adiala Jail

Roads reopened after hours-long operation as protesters were hit by crowd-control measures

Police dispersed a sit-in near the Factory Checkpoint and Adiala Jail after clashes with protesters early Wednesday, deploying anti-riot units and water cannons filled with cold water mixed with chemicals to clear the area. 

Sisters of the PTI founder, Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, along with senior party leaders, reached near Adiala Jail on Tuesday for a scheduled family meeting amid heightened security. Security at Adiala Jail had been tightened, with additional police contingents deployed, water cannons stationed at Gate No 5, and barricades erected at multiple entry points, including Gorakhpur and the factory check-post. Markets in surrounding areas were shut down, petrol pumps closed, and schools were given the day off.

Despite Tuesday being designated for family and lawyers’ visits, jail authorities informed Aleema Khan and senior PTI leadership at around 4pm that the meeting would not be allowed. Warning that the family would not disperse if the meeting was denied, Aleema Khan said, “If they do not allow the meeting, let them not. We are sitting here peacefully. Today, we have even brought blankets with us.”

Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Aleema Khan were caught in the water cannon spray late at night. Police also carried out arrests of protesters who had taken shelter in nearby streets, while some protesters reportedly retaliated with stone-pelting.

Police said the Adiala Road had been fully cleared, all barricades and containers removed, and traffic restored. Authorities confirmed that the operation had concluded and the protesters had dispersed.

Protest organisers said that at least 15 workers were arrested late at night and alleged that Shaukat Basra suffered a broken finger due to police action. They also said that police deflated the tyres of vehicles belonging to protest leaders, including Aleema Khan.

Read: Imran Khan's sisters stage sit-in outside Adiala Jail after being denied meeting with PTI founder

Following the dispersal, Aleema Khan stated that protesters would return on Tuesday, December 23, if their demands, particularly regarding a requested meeting, were not met.

The Human Rights Council of Pakistan strongly condemned the incident on X.

Condemnation Statement

The Human Rights Council of Pakistan strongly condemns the shocking incident outside Adiala Jail, where the turban of renowned religious scholar Allama Raja Nasir Abbas @AllamaRajaNasir was forcibly removed through high-pressure water while he stood… pic.twitter.com/0UNWEerCRx

— Human Rights Council of Pakistan (@HRCPakistan) December 17, 2025

Read More: K-P CM unable to meet Imran for 9th time

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi also expressed his concerns on X.

یہ ظلم کا یہ جبر کا یہ زر کا تسلط
تم دیکھنا ایک وقت میں تینوں سے لڑینگے. pic.twitter.com/9Ssd2s8asE

— Sohail Afridi (@SohailAfridiISF) December 17, 2025

Aleema Khan said the PTI founder’s demands were limited to constitutional principles. “The founder’s demand is the restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law,” she said, adding that Imran Khan had been incarcerated for over two-and-a-half years.

Questioning the repeated denial of meetings, she asked why the PTI founder’s family was not being allowed to meet him in accordance with the law. “The government should tell us why the family of the PTI founder is not allowed to meet him,” she said.