PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and PTI workers ended their sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Factory Naka on Tuesday, hours after they were again barred from moving towards Adiala jail in a bid to meet the incarcerated ex-premier.
Over the past several weeks, the PTI founder has been denied meetings in prison with his family, party members and lawyers, prompting them to stage sit-ins near or outside the prison complex every Tuesday and Thursday – the court-mandated days for visiting Imran.
At times, police also used water cannons and baton charges to disperse them.
The PTI founder’s sisters left Factory Naka and headed towards Gorakhpur – further along Adiala Road – on foot.
At around 9pm, the Saddar police station house officer had arrived at the protest site and began negotiations with PTI’s Shaukat Basra and Meena Khan Afridi.
After initial talks, the PTI leaders reached out to Imran’s sisters for consultation.
An earlier post shared on the PTI’s official X account showed that the sit-in was ongoing at 7pm. In a video shared in the post, PTI workers are seen shouting slogans of “Prime Minister Imran Khan”.
Police had installed a riot fence near the Factory Naka in Rawalpindi, and upon reaching the spot, Imran’s sister, along with party workers, staged a sit-in.
Earlier, a PTI livestream showed crowds of party supporters marching towards the prison on Adiala Road, before being stopped in front of the riot fence, where they chanted slogans and waved Pakistani and PTI flags.
On the occasion, Aleema said that Imran was being kept in “solitary confinement”, stressing that the “government had become so fearful of Imran’s message that they had resorted to breaking the law” – in a reference to the police presence at the scene.
Speaking to reporters, Aleema said that the authorities are afraid of Imran, which is why they have jailed him.
When asked about the statement issued after the TTAP’s two-day conference, she said it “was not a statement”.
“The PTI people are saying that they want to negotiate (with the government), I responded by saying that Imran Khan has instructed Sohail Afridi to take to the streets and lead a movement,” she said.
She added that this last message came from lawyer Salman Safdar, who represented the PTI founder when he was convicted in the Toshakhana 2 case on Saturday.
“Whoever says that we should negotiate with the government after Imran gave these instructions, they cannot be a member of Imran Khan’s party,” Aleema stated.
“We will sit here and we will not leave Imran Khan.
She questioned what the government wants to negotiate when meetings with the PTI founder have been banned.
Court extends bail of Imran, Bushra in multiple cases
The lower court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of the founder of PTI and Bushra Bibi in May 9, riots and five other cases and ordered the founder of PTI to be presented in person or via video link at the next hearing.
During the hearing on the pre-arrest bail applications, Shamsa Kayani Advocate appeared on behalf of the founder of PTI and Bushra Bibi. Due to the unavailability of the founder of PTI, arguments could not be made on the bail applications. The court extended the interim bail and ordered that the founder of PTI be presented in person or via video link at the next hearing.
The court adjourned the hearing on the bail applications until January 27. Other cases including attempted murder, forgery and fake receipts have been registered against the founder of PTI, while a case has been registered against Bushra Bibi for allegedly submitting fake receipts. Separately, the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad extended the interim bail of Bushra Bibi in a case related to the protest held on November 26.
The case is being heard by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Aamir Zia. The order was passed on Tuesday during the hearing of Bushra Bibi’s pre-arrest bail application. The court extended her interim bail and adjourned the proceedings until January 27. Bushra Bibi is nominated in a case registered at Ramna Police Station.