Water cannon breaks up Aleema Khan sit-in at Adiala jail

Police used a water cannon early on Wednesday to disperse a sit-in led by Aleema Khan outside Adiala Jail after authorities denied permission for a meeting with jailed former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.

Aleema Khan, along with her sisters Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, started the protest around 2 pm on Tuesday, which was joined by party workers and former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. The sit-in continued for nearly 12 hours until police launched an operation around 2:10 a.m., spraying high-pressure cold water to clear the road.

The police confirmed that several PTI workers were arrested during the operation. The force of the water displaced protesters from the main road to an adjacent empty lot, while traffic routes around the jail were reopened after the area was cleared.

PTI MNA Shahid Khattak suffered a leg fracture after sliding down a drain during the commotion. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors applied a cast and advised him to rest in bed for a month.

Read: Negotiations underway as PTI sit-in outside Adiala jail continues

Aleema Khan said the group would return next Tuesday to continue their protest. Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan criticized the police action and said the use of high-pressure ice water before dawn endangered the safety of everyone, especially women and elderly participants.

The protesters continued chanting slogans throughout the operation, asking for permission to meet the former PTI chief. Authorities have not commented on whether such access will be granted.

The standoff unfolded against a broader backdrop of increasingly restricted access to PTI founder Imran Khan, who has remained in Adiala jail since his conviction in multiple cases. Although Tuesdays are formally designated for family and legal meetings, PTI leaders say access has been inconsistent for weeks, with prison authorities citing “security concerns” and administrative instructions.

Tensions escalated when Imran’s sisters were informed shortly before the end of visiting hours that no meeting would take place. Officials, according to party members present at the scene, also refused to confirm whether a visit would be allowed later in the week, causing widespread frustration within the party.

The refusal triggered an immediate sit-in in front of the jail that grew rapidly as senior PTI leaders, including the party president, general secretary and several MNAs, reached the scene.

The chanting continued into the night as prison authorities almost completely locked down the surrounding area. Roads remained sealed for several kilometres, commercial activity was suspended and police quietly relocated vehicles belonging to PTI workers, further heightening tensions.

Read more: PTI says Imran ‘not a security threat’

Aleema Khan repeatedly emphasized that the protest was peaceful and said the party had no confrontation with the police.

However, he harshly criticized the persistent ban on gatherings, calling it psychological pressure on the former prime minister and questioning the state’s reasons for treating him as a “threat to national security.” He also rejected accusations of political discussions at previous meetings, saying family conversations were being twisted to justify greater restrictions.

Late at night, PTI leaders warned that a prolonged denial of access would only widen political fissures and deepen public unrest, setting the stage for the police operation that followed early in the morning.