Pakistan: PTI to stage protests in twin cities as Imran Khan remains inaccessible

Islamabad, Dec 2 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) With Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan remaining unreachable to party leaders and even his family members, the party has announced protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday.

The demonstrations come amid the government’s decision to impose a ban on public gatherings and restrict visitation rights, escalating concerns about Khan’s condition.

Growing concern over Khan’s health and circulating rumours about his death prompted authorities to enforce Section 144 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The order, signed by Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema, places Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2024, in effect for three days, from December 1 to 3, according to local media reports.

The directive, dated December 1, notes an “imminent threat within the limits of District Rawalpindi” and says the restrictions aim to maintain “public safety, security, peace, and tranquillity.”

PTI leader Asad Qaiser told a leading Pakistani daily, Dawn, that opposition lawmakers from both houses of parliament would gather outside the IHC before marching to Adiala jail.

“It has been decided to hold protests because IHC has failed to implement its order and the Adiala jail administration is not willing to implement the court orders,” he said.

The conflict intensified last week when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister staged a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with Khan for the eighth time.

Khan’s family members have also been barred from visiting him for several weeks.

Last week, the authorities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail said that the PTI founder has not been transferred from prison and remains “in good health.”

In a statement on Wednesday, officials from the Rawalpindi prison said, “There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala jail. He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention,” another leading Pakistani daily, The News International, reported.

The officials called the rumours about his health “baseless” and insisted that Imran Khan’s well-being was being ensured.

Khan, who has remained in prison since August 2023, faces multiple cases, including corruption and terrorism, since his ouster from power through a no-trust motion in 2022.

The statement of jail authorities comes as PTI has been demanding clarification from the government about rumours regarding Imran Khan, urging authorities to arrange a meeting between the PTI founder and his family. The party’s demand comes as Imran Khan’s sisters have not been allowed to meet him in recent weeks, leading them to raise questions about his whereabouts.

–