ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Wednesday accused police of using a water cannon in freezing temperatures to disperse supporters and the three sisters of former prime minister Imran Khan who were holding an overnight sit-in outside the Adiala high-security prison to demand a meeting with him.
Khan, a former cricket star who became prime minister in 2018, has been in jail since 2023 on multiple charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. He denies wrongdoing, saying the cases are politically motivated to keep him out of politics.
Last week, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced a complete ban on all meetings with Khan at Adiala Jail, calling him an “extremist consumed by war hysteria.” Even before the ban, the PTI had repeatedly claimed Khan was being denied regular meetings with lawyers and family despite court rulings allowing visitation.
Videos circulating widely on social media on Tuesday late night and Wednesday morning showed a small crowd, including Khan’s sisters Aleema and Uzma, running as jets of water were fired from a police vehicle outside the prison complex in the city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. Police have yet to issue an official response and declined immediate comment when contacted by Arab News.
