Incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, on Monday rejected reports claiming he had met an ex-Army chief at Adiala Jail, dubbing them “totally fake.”
In a post on X, she said “all the news” regarding such a meeting was fake. She further said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan had also rubbished the reports.
“It is disinformation, especially spread to distract from the fact that Imran is being tortured through total isolation,” she claimed, adding it was part of attempts to distract from the government denying “proper treatment” for her brother’s eye condition; preventing him from speaking with his sons; and denying him books or access to a television set for the past six months.
“He has not been allowed contact with anyone from the outside world in the past six months, except two visits by his lawyer on the orders of the court,” she said. “There is a full bench court order that allows for at least 18 people to visit him every week. Six family members and six lawyers on Tuesdays, and six party members on Thursdays,” she continued, maintaining these demands were all Khan’s “lawful rights, under Pakistan’s laws and international laws.”
Over the weekend, several journalists—most of them affiliated with the PTI—had claimed on social media that a former Army chief had met Khan in Adiala Jail. They did not offer any details on the identity of the former military official apart from maintaining they were currently residents of Pakistan.
Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving out a 14-year prison term in the £190 million corruption case as well as a 17-year term in Toshakhana-2 case. Earlier this year, he developed an eye condition that has required treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he is taken as a day patient before being shifted back to jail.
The PTI, as well as the former premier’s family, maintain Khan should be admitted to a private medical facility. To pressure the government into accepting its demands, the PTI often stages sit-ins outside Adiala Jail but has struggled to attract sufficient numbers to push authorities into action.