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The sit-in at the Gorakhpur checkpost near Adiala Jail, led by Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, has been called off following successful negotiations with police, ARY News reported, citing an official statement.
According to authorities, police held initial talks with Aleema Khan and PTI leaders at the protest site and assured them that meetings with the former prime minister would be arranged. The family has now been guaranteed access to Imran Khan later today and again next Tuesday, prompting the protesters to disperse peacefully. Earlier, Aleema Khan had been leading a determined sit-in outside Adiala Jail, saying she would not leave until she was allowed to meet her incarcerated brother. She repeatedly stated that she and her family were prepared to remain at the checkpost for as long as necessary, according to ARY News. She alleged that Imran Khan is being kept in solitary confinement, calling the treatment "oppressive" and "illegal." "We will stay here until we are granted a meeting. What is happening to Imran Khan is unjust," she said. Terming the situation "a jungle law," she accused authorities of unlawful behaviour towards the PTI founder. "For those who say we are staging a drama, then why is there so much police here?" she questioned. Aleema Khan said the family's protest is peaceful, asserting, "This is our country, and we have every right to protest." She criticised the deployment of women police officers, alleging they were being used to "malign other women," and claimed the actions were meant to please PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz. "If they want to arrest us, they can go ahead -- we are not afraid," she added. Before talks succeeded, the sit-in had caused severe disruption on Adiala Jail Road. Both sides remained blocked for hours, creating a massive traffic snarl that left commuters frustrated. Ambulances and school vans were caught in the gridlock. A school van driver told reporters that anxious parents kept calling, worried about why their children had still not reached home, according to ARY News. Reporters on the ground described a scene of mounting distress among locals, with the protest initially showing no signs of ending -- until police negotiations finally brought it to a close. (ANI)
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