PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has sought Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s attention to rights of visitors of the incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and the ‘rough’ treatment recently meted out to his family members by the authorities concerned.

In a letter addressed to Ms Nawaz, Mr Afridi said that the court had issued clear directions for a schedule of visitors explicitly permitting his close family members and individuals, nominated to meet him on specified days.

He said despite clear instructions, the orders were repeatedly violated by the authorities concerned, adding that particularly disturbing was the rough treatment faced by Mr Khan’s sisters during a recent attempt to visit their brother.

He said Mr Khan’s sisters were apolitical private citizens and sought to only meet their brother in accordance with court permission.

Writes letter to Maryam, regrets ‘rough’ treatment meted out to Mr Khan’s sisters near Adiyala jail

He said there was no conceivable legal or administrative basis for obstructing or mishandling immediate family members whose presence was neither political nor disruptive in nature.

The KP chief minister said the obstruction, physical restraint, or temporary detention was unacceptable and that such actions created an impression that judicial directives were being disregarded.

“This situation is untenable and irreconcilable with the basic expectations of due process, rule of law, and responsible public administration,” Mr Afridi told Ms Nawaz and asked her to ensure that a proper, safe, and dignified waiting and seating area was designated for authorised visitors and that the current practice of stopping them nearly a kilometre away, compelling elderly family members, particularly women, to sit on roads, was inappropriate and must be discontinued.

He said the Punjab government was expected to ensure immediate and strict implementation of all court directions and to hold accountable all individuals responsible for obstructing, insulting, or physically mishandling peaceful visitors, including Mr Khan’s family members and members of the KP cabinet, who were present in a lawful and non-confrontational manner.

Mr Afridi asked his Punjab counterpart to issue clear instructions to prison and police authorities to prevent repeating such lapses, establish a transparent mechanism to ensure all future meetings were facilitated in an orderly, respectful, and legally compliant manner.

The KP chief minister reminded the Punjab CM that Mr Khan was a former prime minister and leader of a political party and he [CM Afridi] represented his party.

“Any deviation from court-mandated procedures in his [Mr Khan’s] case, or any disrespectful treatment of his immediate family, becomes a matter of direct institutional concern,” the letter said.

Mr Afridi wrote that as KP chief minister, he could not remain indifferent when dignity and lawful rights of the former prime minister were being compromised, adding that he was constrained to demand that the issues be addressed promptly, decisively, and in full conformity with judicial directions.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025