Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan
Credit: Reuters Photo
The Pakistan government on Tuesday allowed one of former PM Imran Khan’s sister to meet him in prison after a large number of party supporters gathered outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail following speculation over his health and well-being.
Uzma Khan was taken inside the jail to meet her brother amid widespread speculation that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief was murdered in custody, Geo News reported.
Uzma, after meeting him claimed that Imran Khan was kept in solitary confinement and was being mentally tortured. She also quashed the death rumours, saying he is fine.
"Imran Khan is fine, his health is good. He has been kept in solitary confinement, he is being tortured mentally," she told reporters after meeting him in jail.
Constantly denying his family members from meeting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder led to speculations on social media whether he is alive or dead.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government deployed the entire Rawalpindi police force along Adiala Road to thwart the PTI protest.
The government has already imposed Section 144 (ban on gathering of four or more people) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The station house officers of eight police stations in Rawalpindi along with senior officers are present outside Adiala Jail.
"An eight-kilometre stretch has been completely sealed. Schools and colleges are closed. Residents are being required to show their ID card to pass through the area," an official of Punjab government told PTI.
A group of lawyers also held a demonstration outside the Islamabad High Court against the government for keeping Imran Khan in isolation.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said compliance with Section 144 would be ensured in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at any cost.
“Whether they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail, action under Section 144 would be carried out without any discrimination,” the minister said.
Earlier, Imran Khan's son Kasim Khan demanded the government present proof that he (Khan) is alive.
"We demand proof of (Imran Khan)'s life," Khan's son Kasim Khanhad said in a post on X.
Khan's party has warned the authorities of countrywide protests if the government does not allow his sisters to see him.
His sisters have also warned that if anything happens to Khan, those involved and their families will not be spared by Pakistanis both here and abroad.
(With PTI inputs)