Rawalpindi Police early on Wednesday utilized water cannons to disperse a sit-in staged near Adiala Jail by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters and supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after the family was denied permission to meet him.
Tuesdays have been reserved as days for meetings between Khan and his family and lawyers, while Thursdays are reserved for meetings with “friends.” Earlier this month, after a gap of several weeks and amidst rumors of Khan’s declining health, one of his sisters—Uzma—was allowed to meet him. However, the meetings were subsequently halted again after she conveyed what the government describes as a “political message” that it maintains is in violation of Prison Rules.
Last Tuesday, after being denied a meeting, Khan’s sisters and PTI supporters had staged a similar sit-in that was also dispersed by police with the use of water cannons.
This week’s operation commenced around 2 a.m., with police using water cannons to disperse the protesters and baton-charging and detaining any stragglers.
PTI’s reaction
In a post shared on its official X account, the PTI condemned what it described as the violation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders allowing meetings between Khan and his family and lawyers. “These actions are not merely administrative failures; they constitute a direct assault on the Constitution, the rule of law, and the authority of the judiciary,” it said.
Alleging police had used “chemical-laced water cannons” against the protesters, the party claimed there was no “no emergency situation, no legal justification, and no provocation whatsoever.” It maintained these actions amounted to “fascism, police brutality, and political victimization.”
The party questioned the legal justification for denying Khan the meetings and the use of force against “peaceful citizens.” Maintaining this “oppression, repression, and fascism” would not sustain indefinitely, it warned that the people responsible would eventually face accountability.
Water cannons
In videos shared by the PTI after the police action, a supporter claims their eyes were stinging after the operation. Aleema, likewise, claims police used “chemicals” because her hands were “burning.”
Earlier, arriving at Adiala Jail, Aleema had vowed to remain outside the prison regardless of any use of water cannons or police action. She said the sit-in would continue until meetings with her brother were restored. She also threatened to “shut down” KP and the rest of the country if the meetings remained suspended.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, accompanying her, urged supporters to join the demonstration and express solidarity with the sisters of the PTI’s founder. “This is not only the job of the assembly members,” he said. “How can these people [government] tell someone what they can and cannot discuss in a meeting?”
He also lashed out at a protester questioning why the PTI leadership had not issued any fresh call for a march on Islamabad. “Do you think 20-30,000 people can overthrow a system that has been in place for the past 78 years?” he questioned in response. “We are calling out to the entire nation. We do not want to carry on this drama for another day, after which people will die,” he claimed. “We will make a conscious effort and will not submit to pressure,” he said, maintaining a day would come when “hundreds of thousands” would take to the streets.
Khan was detained in August 2023 and is currently serving out a sentence at Adiala Jail after being found guilty in a £190 million corruption case. Several trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 riots are ongoing.