PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters sit outside Adiala Jail after being denied a meeting on Tuesday. Photo: X/PTI
RAWALPINDI:
After breaking up a PTI sit-in protest outside Adiala Jail in the early hours of Wednesday, authorities in Rawalpindi arrested hundreds of people, including the septuagenarian sisters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, under the country’s anti-terrorism law.
Imran’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, along with senior party leaders, arrived at Adiala Jail on Tuesday for a scheduled family meeting with the jailed PTI founder.
However, prison authorities informed Aleema Khan and senior PTI leaders around 4 pm that the meeting could not be allowed. Imran’s relatives and PTI leaders staged a sit-in outside the jail to protest against what they called an illegal denial of their right to meet the PTI founder.
According to eyewitnesses, around 3 am on Wednesday the riot police launched an offensive and used high-pressure water cannons to disperse the sit-in near the factory checkpoint outside the jail amid clashes with PTI supporters.
Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Aleema Khan were also caught in the water jet. Police also began surrounding protesters who had taken shelter in nearby streets or threw stones at officials, arresting 14 of them.
The police soon cleared the Adiala road, lifted all barricades and containers and restored traffic.
Subsequently, the police registered a first information report (FIR) against hundreds of people under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997. According to the FIR, around 300 to 400 PTI supporters had gathered outside the jail on the call of Aliya Hamza.
“They continuously raised slogans against the Government of Pakistan and state institutions, blocked the road and caused serious inconvenience and distress to the general public.
“Police officers repeatedly, calmly and politely asked them to disperse, explaining that their actions endangered patients, travelers and residents in the area.”
He claimed that despite warnings, several individuals in the crowd abused police officers, attempted to grab and assault them, tore uniforms and obstructed officers in carrying out their lawful duties.
They also incited others to take the law into their own hands. Some unidentified persons also attacked the Adiala police check post mobile vehicle with stones, sticks and sharp objects, causing damage to the vehicle.
“The illegal mob also vandalized properties, attempted to scale walls and sprayed political slogans. Some individuals prepared Molotov cocktails and threw them towards the police with the intention of causing damage, which caused a fire on the road, spreading fear and panic in the area.”
According to the FIR, the police managed to arrest 14 of the alleged rioters, while other people managed to flee amid the chaos following the crackdown.
On Wednesday morning, the police produced these PTI supporters before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) headed by Justice Syed Amjad Ali Shah. The court, accepting the police’s request, ordered the remand of the accused for three days.
Amnesty International later condemned the use of water cannons in the PTI protest. In a post on
“Pakistan authorities must respect people’s right to protest peacefully and end the disproportionate and punitive use of force,” he said. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi also expressed concern over the crackdown on X.
The protest will be repeated next week
After the dispersion, Aleema Khan stated that the protesters would return on Tuesday, December 23 if their demands, particularly those regarding a requested meeting, were not met.
Aleema Khan said the PTI founder’s demands were limited to constitutional principles. “The founder’s demand is the restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law,” he stated.
Questioning the repeated denial of meetings, he asked why the PTI founder’s family was not allowed to meet him in accordance with the law. “The government should tell us why the PTI founder’s family is not allowed to meet him,” he said.
