‘We will sit wherever we are stopped’
Imran’s sisters, PTI workers stage sit-in near Adiala jail
RAWALPINDI: PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters, party workers and supporters commenced a sit-in on Tuesday at Factory Naka, near Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, to demand their court-mandated meeting with the ex-premier.
Despite the IHC’s order, Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi — along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have tried and failed to meet Imran over the past several weeks. Last Tuesday, after being denied a meeting with the PTI chief, his sisters and party supporters staged a sit-in, which was dispersed early morning with water cannons.
On Tuesday, Imran’s sisters marched toward the prison before being stopped. Speaking to a reporter as she marched, Aleema said, “We will sit wherever we are stopped.”
When asked if she had prepared for the deployment of water cannons or a prolonged sit-in, she replied that she had brought warm clothes and a blanket, showing the latter on camera.
A large number of party workers and supporters participated in the sit-in, where a heavy contingent of police was also present.
Speaking to reporters, Aleema stated that this occurs every Tuesday at the same location, maintaining that she and her party supporters are not engaging in any illegal or unconstitutional activities.
“We have no other option left besides protesting,” she said. “Our founder’s demand is the restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law.”
She claimed that the judiciary has been stripped of independence, unemployment is rising due to the stoppage of trade with Afghanistan and that the security situation is deteriorating.
Referring to her sister Uzma’s brief meeting with Imran on December 2 and the government’s claim of “political conversations” that violated jail rules, Aleema urged the government to tell the family what was discussed.
“Tell me what political matters my sister discussed in the last meeting. Political topics should be discussed with the people of the party,” she said.
Naeem Haider Panjhuta, Imran’s spokesperson on legal affairs, filmed a video from the site of the sit-in, showing crowds of PTI workers staging the demonstration into this evening.
“We are waiting for a meeting with Khan sahib. Today is the designated day for family and lawyers to meet him,” he said. “They are not letting us meet him, despite the IHC court order and visits being permitted in the jail manual.”
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who was also present at the sit-in, urged everyone to come and join the demonstration and express solidarity with the sisters of the party founder. Staff Report
