• Uzma Khan says brother perfectly healthy, confined to cell throughout the day
• Aleema alleges Maryam Nawaz behind meeting ban
• PTI stages protest outside Islamabad High Court, Adiala jail

ISLAMABAD: As the PTI supporters took to the streets on Tuesday to demand a meeting with their incarcerated chief Imran Khan, the government finally allowed a sister of Mr Khan to see him in Adiala jail in a sitting that lasted for almost half an hour.

The meeting took place as rumours regarding the health of Imran Khan started circulating in local and foreign media despite claims by the government and the PTI leaders that the former prime minister was in good health.

These speculations, however, gained traction due to the government’s reluctance to let visitors, including his family members and legal team, meet Mr Khan over the past few weeks. Against this backdrop, the PTI staged a protest in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa on Tuesday — a move that forced the government’s hand.

As they marched towards Adiala, the sisters of Mr Khan were stopped by the police. However, later they were informed that one sister, Uzma Khan, was allowed to meet Mr Khan in jail to check up on his health. After consultation, the trio decided to send Uzma Khan to meet their brother and inquire about his health.

While Uzma Khan went to meet her brother, Aleema Khan, talking to media, alleged that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was behind the unconstitutional ban on meetings with Imran Khan.

After meeting her brother, Uzma Khan said that her brother was perfectly healthy. “I was allowed to meet Imran for around 20 minutes. Imran was angry and was saying that they [government] were mentally torturing him,” she said.

According to Ms Khan, the PTI founder was even more disturbed when informed about the treatment meted out to his sister, Noreen Niazi, a few weeks ago. It may be noted that during a protest outside the prison last month, Ms Niazi was allegedly tortured by the police.

Uzma Khan added that her brother was confined to his cell throughout the day and was allowed only a short time outside. She further said that he was not in communication with anyone, and the same was the case with his wife Bushra Bibi.

While sharing details of the meeting, she said that Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas should be notified as opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate, respectively. She said Imran had also tasked the PTI with supporting and following any call by the two nominees for the opposition leaders. She added that Mr Khan further directed that Shahid Khattak be made the parliamentary leader of the opposition.

“About Sohail Afridi, he said that he is very happy and supports him completely.”

She also said that PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Hamid Khan will finalise the candidates for the elections of the Pakistan Bar Council.

In a strict warning for PTI members seen fraternising with those from the government, she said Imran Khan gave one direction: “My party members who play on both sides of the wicket have no place here and are the Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of my party.”

On Tuesday, a number of leaders, including MNA Aamir Dogar, reached outside the IHC and held a protest and sit-in. Those who reached IHC also included Punjab Assembly opposition leader Moeen Qureshi and others.On the other hand, Islamabad’s regional president PTI Amir Mughal along with other workers reached outside Adiala to support Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan. In anticipation of this protest, the Punjab and the federal governments had imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, the PTI protested despite these restrictions.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2025