- Police seal off Adiala Road with tight security deployment
- PTI leaders and supporters at Factory checkpost
- Section 144 slapped across Rawalpindi, Islamabad
RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi joined on Tuesday a sit-in with the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan near Adiala jail in Rawalpindi where security was beefed up and Section 144 was imposed in the twin cities.
Khan was jailed in August 2023 and served 1,000 days behind bars earlier this week. Despite repeated requests, jail authorities have denied permission for his family members and PTI leaders to meet him on multiple occasions
The former ruling party has expressed concerns over the health condition of ex-PM Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi after both recently underwent eye procedures.
It has long been demanding their immediate transfer to a hospital for proper medical care and diagnostic testing under the supervision of their doctors and family members.
Today's sit-in coincided with the scheduled meeting day for the jailed PTI founder at the Adiala jail, where authorities had already imposed restrictions, banning all forms of public gatherings in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
CM Afridi arrived at the Factory check post on Adiala Road with official protocol, where the former prime minister's sisters, including Aleema Khan, have staged the sit-in.
Several PTI leaders, including Salman Akram Raja, Shahid Khattak, Naeem Haider Panjutha and Niazullah Niazi, along with party workers, were also present at the sit-in.
Meanwhile, police cordoned off Adiala Road and put up barriers along the route while heavy contingents were deployed at a number of places around the jail and adjoining areas to maintain security.
“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are illegally imprisoned and tortured systematically through psychological and physical torture by illegal isolation,” Aleema Khan wrote in a post on X.
She said the main demand of the party is the immediate shifting of Imran to Shifa International Hospital for complete medical checkup and proper treatment of his eye disease.
Aleema further said that CM Afridi along with all the KP Assembly and PTI lawmakers from National Assembly and Senate will be participating in the sit-in in solidarity with the former premier. She urged the PTI supporters not to visit Adiala jail due to the risk of arrest.
Earlier in the day, the Rawalpindi administration had issued an official notification declaring Adiala Jail and the nearby areas a red zone and imposed Section 144 in the district for 15 days.
As per the notification, Section 144 has been imposed from midnight on May 12, prohibiting all kinds of public gatherings in the area.
Separately, the Islamabad administration said that Section 144 was still in force in the federal capital and warned that no public gatherings would be allowed under the restrictions.
Any violation of the restrictions would be treated as violation of law and may invite strict legal action against violators, said the district administration.
The authorities further advised the people to not indulge in any illegal activities and follow the restrictions imposed under Section 144 strictly.
Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023 following convictions he and his party say are politically motivated.
He has faced a series of legal cases since he was ousted from office in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote, including allegations around state gifts and an unlawful marriage case.
Some convictions have been suspended or overturned but several appeals are still pending before higher courts. Khan has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
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