'Meetings with Imran suspended until Feb 8'

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan would remain suspended until Feb 8.

"Meetings with Khan will remain suspended till Feb 8," the minister said while speaking to a private TV channel on Monday.

Chaudhry noted that the prison is "not the headquarters of a political party", and slammed the PTI for "spreading venom against institutions and leaders of the institutions".

He maintained that regular meetings were held between PTI leaders and its founder in Adiala jail in the past, and the government had no issues. However, he said the meetings then turned into political news conferences outside the prison, and the opposition party started to create narratives, which were then "run by Indian media".

Responding to Chaudhry, PTI's Barrister Ali Zafar said the Constitution of the country considers solitary confinement akin to torture, adding the minister's statement is against human rights, international and local laws.

"PTI asks party leaders and parliamentarians to gather outside Adiala prison to express solidarity with Khan, but the government uses water canons and violence against peaceful protesters."

Separately, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said prison meetings with the PTI founder had been suspended as they were being used to plan and coordinate a large protest in Islamabad to mark the anniversary of party's Nov 26, 2024, march to the capital.

Sanaullah said Imran and his sister were discussing preparations for a large protest on Nov 26 this year before the meetings were suspended.

"Before the meetings were stopped four or five weeks ago, they discussed that on November 26, 2025, they would arrange a programme of this sort to mark what happened on that day in 2024," he stated.