FAZAL SHER

RAWALPINDI: After being kept incommunicado for nearly four weeks, Dr Uzma Khan, the sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, was finally granted a rare, tightly controlled meeting with her brother in jail on Tuesday, where she quickly dismissed mounting rumours, insisting his health was good and perfectly fine.

Tuesday also marked the scheduled visitation day for Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. However, only Dr Uzma was allowed to visit, despite a gathering of party supporters and PTI parliamentarians, including Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan, Barrister Salman Akram Raja, the PTI Secretary General, who arrived at the Gorakhpur checkpoint hoping to meet Khan.

Speaking to reporters after the brief 20-minute meeting with Imran Khan, Dr Uzma confirmed that while his health was stable, Khan was very angry and accused the jail authorities of subjecting him to mental torture.

“The jail administration keeps me locked in a room all day and only allows me a brief moment outside. I have no communication with anyone,” she quoted Khan as saying.

She also relayed Khan’s scathing criticism of certain PTI parliamentarians, accusing them of double-dealing and likening them to the infamous traitors Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq for their participation in a workshop organised by the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad.

She emphasised that her brother had fiercely criticised the participation of several PTI parliamentarians, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi and others, in the NDU workshop. Khan equated it to “socialising with those who have kept him in solitary confinement under the harsh conditions of Adiala Jail for over two years.” In what appears to reflect dissatisfaction with the performance of PTI MNAs in the National Assembly, Uzma conveyed Khan’s message, revealing that he had appointed the flamboyant Shahid Khattak as the party’s new parliamentary leader in the National Assembly.

Uzma unleashed a torrent of Khan’s orders from behind bars, revealing that he had instructed party MNAs and senators to stage protests at the Speaker’s and Chairman Senate’s dais, demanding immediate notifications for the appointment of Mehmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader in the National Assembly and Raja Nasir Abbas in the Senate.

She also shared Khan’s message for the newly appointed Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi. She said that Khan had nothing but praise for Afridi’s defiant and combative political approach since taking office as the province’s new chief executive. “Tell Sohail to continue playing on the front foot like a tiger,” she added, quoting Khan’s high praise for Afridi’s bold leadership.

Earlier in the day, PTI parliamentarians, including MNAs, MPAs, and senators, staged a peaceful protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), condemning the delays in hearings for Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, and the authorities’ refusal to allow Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister to meet Khan despite court orders.

Shafiullah Jan, the special assistant to the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on information, responded to rumours of a potential governor’s rule in the province, declaring, “There is only one rule in KP, and that is Imran Khan’s rule – the rest are a joke. If they plan to impose governor’s rule tomorrow, I’d urge them to go for it today – and then we’ll see what happens.”

Meanwhile, PTI members moved to Adiala Jail to express solidarity with Khan’s sisters, demanding a meeting with the jailed leader.

A heavy police presence was deployed in the area after local administrations imposed Section 144, banning public gatherings and protests in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Over 3,000 officers were mobilised to ensure compliance.