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Sisters of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, along with party workers, staged a sit-in at Rawalpindi's Factory Naka on Tuesday after being prevented once again from meeting Khan, who is lodged at Adiala jail, Dawn reported.
According to Dawn, sit-ins at Factory Naka, located a short distance from Adiala Jail, have become routine on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with PTI supporters and Imran Khan's sisters repeatedly protesting restrictions on meetings with the former over the past several weeks. The protests continue despite a March 24, 2025, court order from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directing that Imran Khan be allowed to meet visitors twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dawn reported. However, Imran's sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have been unable to meet him so far. On Tuesday, security forces blocked multiple routes leading to Adiala jail, including Factory Naka and Dahgal Naka, amid a heavy police deployment. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was stopped at Dahgal Naka, while several others, including Imran Khan's sisters, were halted at Factory Naka and barred from proceeding further, as per the Dawn. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said in a post on social media platform X around 3 pm that he was stopped at a police checkpoint shortly after crossing Bahria Town. Later, in a video shared by the PTI on X around 8 pm, Raja said he was again stopped near Chakri before eventually reaching the vicinity of Adiala jail. "I was again stopped around two to three miles away from Chakri, now we have finally reached here (near the Adiala jail)," he said. In another video posted by the PTI on X, Aleema Khan said, "We had to recite and finish the Quran here, but they are afraid of it. What kind of people are they? They have strictly blocked all the routes to Adiala." On Monday, Aleema had appealed to PTI supporters to gather outside Adiala jail for a Khatam-i-Quran, Dawn reported. "We will sit here," she asserted, adding that "the oppressors are afraid." "Why have they arrested him (Imran)? Why are they denying meetings with him? Why is he kept in solitary confinement?" she asked. Aleema further said that jail authorities had assured her last week that a meeting would be arranged, which led the party to temporarily call off its sit-in. Imran Khan does not have access to the internet while in custody, and it remains unclear who operates his X account. However, the account has continued to post statements described as his messages from jail following meetings with family members and party leaders, Dawn reported. (ANI)
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