PTI leaders finally reach Adiala, only to be denied entry

Published May 1, 2026 Updated May 1, 2026 07:01am

ISLAMABAD: After skipping jail visits for two consecutive weeks, PTI leaders on Thursday managed to reach Adiala for a meeting with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, only to be turned away once more.

While Mr Khan’s sisters continue to show up at the jail on Tuesdays, party leaders were nowhere to be seen over the past two weeks, prompting criticism.

The visit materialised after PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who has been authorised by the IHC to share the names of leaders intending to meet Mr Khan with the jail administration, withdrew the initial list as his own name was missing from it and issued a revised one including himself, before also reaching Adiala jail.

The initial list included the names of PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Advocate Hamid Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar.

Raja says party to approach SC again to ensure meeting with ex-PM

However, in addition to Mr Raja, the fresh list also included Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Mehboob Shah and Ali Bukhari.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Raja said all six leaders included in the list arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday and “stayed there for two-and-a-half hours, in the hope that a meeting with Khan Sahib would be allowed”.

However, despite their efforts, they were once again denied a meeting with Mr Khan.

“The party has decided to approach the Supreme Court again to ensure meetings between party leaders and Khan Sahib,” he said.

The PTI also expressed deep concern over persistent delays by the IHC in deciding the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case against party founder Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, and has called for the immediate suspension of their sentences and their release forthwith.

In a statement, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that the case had become a critical test for the judiciary and urged an expeditious decision to restore public confidence and institutional credibility.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026

Opinion

Editorial

Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...
UAE’s Opec exit
Updated 30 Apr, 2026

UAE’s Opec exit

THE UAE’s exit from Opec is another sign of the major geopolitical shifts that are reshaping the global order. One...
Uncertain recovery
30 Apr, 2026

Uncertain recovery

PAKISTAN’S growth projections for the current fiscal present a cautiously hopeful picture, though geopolitical...
Police ‘encounters’
30 Apr, 2026

Police ‘encounters’

THE killing of nine suspects by Punjab’s Crime Control Department across Lahore, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh ...