Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday said the government will no longer permit former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, to meet him at Adiala Jail, as he vowed “zero tolerance” for any attempt to disturb law and order outside the prison.
Addressing a press conference with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, he said “strict orders” had been issued to ensure law and order outside the jail. “Anyone found disturbing the peace will be dealt with iron hands,” he warned.
Tarar similarly lashed out at elements within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who had claimed Khan’s health was declining. He noted that Uzma, after meeting Khan earlier this week, had personally confirmed that her brother had no health concerns.
“No prisoner has enjoyed the facilities [Imran Khan] is,” claimed Tarar, referring to the former premier having access to a treadmill during his incarceration. He said the PTI founder was free to return these privileges if he wished to bolster his narrative of victimization. He claimed the government was aware of “a woman PTI leader” who had alleged to Indian and Afghan media that Khan’s life was in danger. He lamented that international media was being used to propagandize against Pakistan.
The information minister recalled how Khan, while prime minister, had threatened to “get so and so arrested,” remove their ACs, or seek harsher jail conditions. “His [Imran Khan] three sisters create law and order situations outside the jail,” he said. “This cannot continue. You meet inside and run propaganda outside. You were given an opportunity, and whoever violated the rules has had their meetings stopped,” he added.
Tarar said leaders of the PMLN had similarly met their leaders in jail while they were imprisoned. However, he stressed, they had never tried to create a law and order situation. Referring to recent attempts to stage sit-ins outside Adiala by Khan’s sisters and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, he said “spectacles” outside Adiala would no longer be permitted.
“Meetings have a purpose—to ask about well-being [of a prisoner],” he said, alleging the PTI founder used these meetings to call for the collapse of the state. “You want to weaken the country’s defense? Damage its sovereignty? You want to challenge a state that defeated India?” he said, criticizing Khan for his “hypocrisy.”
The law minister, meanwhile, said the Prison Rules governed jail meetings. He said this matter fell within the domain of the Punjab government, which oversees Adiala Jail, adding it was the prison administration’s duty to follow all relevant laws.
“The PTI founder is a convicted prisoner by a competent court of jurisdiction,” he said, reiterating that his visitation rights were determined by the jail manual. Citing Rule 265 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, he said meetings for a superior-class prisoner were limited to once a week and capped at six visitors. The same rule, he said, barred political discussions and prohibited the publicity of conversations or letters, including through press conferences or social media posts.
He said Rule 548 required all prisoner meetings to be held under the supervision of the jail superintendent, while Rule 557 empowered the supervising officer to terminate a meeting if the conversation or conduct was deemed prejudicial to public order or peace. He further said Rule 560 allowed the jail superintendent to stop meetings if he believed the interaction could become public in a way that may incite unrest. “The entire set of rules gives a prominent and central role to the jail superintendent,” he said.
The press conference followed jail authorities denying the KP chief minister permission to meet Khan for the ninth time. Earlier this week, after a gap of nearly a month, Khan’s sister Uzma was allowed to meet Khan. Sharing details of her meeting, she issued instructions for the PTI and lashed out at the government, with government lawmakers claiming this qualifies as “political discussions” banned under prison rules.