PTI leaders reach Adiala after two-week hiatus

RAWALPINDI:

After missing visits to Adiala Jail for two straight weeks, PTI leaders on Thursday reached the prison to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, but were again denied access.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) permits Imran to hold meetings twice a week - on Tuesdays and Thursdays - with family members, lawyers and associates. However, despite these directives, his interactions with family and party leaders have largely remained curtailed.

While Imran's sisters continued to appear at Adiala Jail on Tuesdays, PTI leaders remained absent over the past two weeks, drawing criticism of the party leadership.

A day earlier, a list of PTI leaders' names was submitted to the Adiala Jail superintendent for a scheduled meeting with the party founder.

The initial list included PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Advocate Hamid Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar.

However, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja - authorised by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to submit the names of party leaders wishing to meet Imran to the jail administration - later withdrew the initial list and issued a revised one.

The updated list, in addition to Raja himself, included Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Mehboob Shah and Ali Bukhari.

On Thursday, all six leaders arrived at Adiala Jail in an attempt to meet Imran, but despite their efforts, they were once again denied access.

Raja criticised authorities for denying party leaders access to the party's founder, warning that attendance of those visiting on designated meeting days would be recorded and made public.