Imran Khan’s sisters, PTI leaders released after brief detention
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) top leaders and jailed former premier Imran Khan's sisters were released by Rawalpindi police on Thursday after a brief detention from a checkpost near the Adiala jail.
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bachhar, and Sunni Ittehad Council chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza were arrested, as police cracked down on PTI leadership attempting to visit the incarcerated founder of the party.
The arrests were made at an under-construction plaza on Adiala Road, where several senior PTI figures, including Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noureen Khan Niazi, and Uzma Khanum, had gathered to demand a meeting with the former Prime Minister.
Police presented arrest warrants for seven individuals, including Khan’s sisters and cousin Qasim Zaman Khan.
Aleema Khan, who had earlier been stopped at the Dahgal checkpoint, voiced strong frustration at being denied visitation rights, despite prior assurances.
“If we are not given a meeting today, we will not leave here,” she told reporters. “They are lying to us.”
Former federal minister Zartaj Gul, speaking to the media, accused the government of paranoia. “They’re so afraid that they can’t even allow a meeting. The court and jail manual both permit it — then what’s the excuse now?”
She said: “On one hand, Omar Ayub is being stopped, and on the other hand, we are being blocked too.”
The entire Adiala Road was cordoned off, with heavy police deployment and checkpoints set up to restrict access. The main gate of the plaza where PTI leaders gathered was also sealed.
Meanwhile, Sahibzada Hamid Raza criticised the government’s selective approach, stating, “Some people are allowed to meet Imran Khan without court orders or official lists, while others are barred. My name will never be on the list of compromised people.”
In a fiery press talk, Omar Ayub slammed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “There’s no bigger liar than Shehbaz. Inflation is spiraling. The country’s debt has ballooned by over Rs 14,450 billion because of the rupee’s collapse,” he said, questioning the government’s claim of investing petroleum levy funds in Balochistan.
“Even the Chief Minister of Balochistan can’t leave Quetta without security — and they talk about development?”
The situation around Adiala Jail remains tense, with party workers, leaders, and family members demanding transparent and legal access to meet the PTI founder.