Tensions are high outside the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan remains incarcerated.
A late-night demonstration led by members of Khan’s family and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders was forcefully broken up by police using water cannons in near-freezing temperatures, triggering widespread outrage within the party.
The episode, unfolding in the early hours of Wednesday (December 10, 2025), appears to have deepened the long-running dispute over access to the imprisoned PTI founder, whom the party claims has been held in extended solitary confinement with no family or legal visits permitted for more than a week.
How a blocked visit turned into an overnight confrontation
The latest escalation began when
Khan’s sisters — Aleema, Uzma and Noreen — attempted to meet him on Tuesday, in line with an Islamabad High Court order allowing designated visitors on specific days of the week, reported Karachi-based news outlet Dawn.
Despite this directive, authorities denied them access, prompting the sisters and accompanying PTI supporters to stage a sit-in near the prison complex.
As the gathering grew, senior PTI figures including party secretary general Salman Akram Raja, provincial president Junaid Akbar Khan and other lawmakers arrived to join the protest.
The demonstration drew supporters who had travelled to the site after hearing that Khan’s family was once again unable to see him.
Police officers stationed near the facility approached the family multiple times to urge them to disperse, but the group refused to leave, insisting the denial of access violated both the IHC’s standing order and the basic rights of detainees.
Just before 4 am (local time), PTI posted on X that “Pakistani authorities used water cannons to disperse Imran Khan’s sisters and peaceful PTI workers outside Adiala Jail, despite a court order allowing a meeting with the jailed former PM.”
The party condemned the action, writing that “This brutal crackdown on a peaceful sit-in violates basic human rights and freedom of assembly in freezing weather!”
Videos shared by the party showed streams of water being directed toward shivering demonstrators, many wrapped in winter clothing. Some were seen running for cover as jets of water hit them.
Shocking scenes from Adiala tonight: at 2am, in 0°C, authorities used water cannons on Imran Khan’s sisters & families peacefully protesting outside the prison, then arrested PTI supporters for demanding basic rights. This is not security, this is state brutality. #Pakistan… pic.twitter.com/5g5FLgwrpP
— Nazar Abbas (@nazarawan38) December 9, 2025
The party simultaneously claimed that the decision to block the family reflected deliberate intent, declaring that the measures were “not only a shameless violation of Imran Khan’s prisoner rights but also an outright assault on the constitutional rights of people who gathered to protest the regime’s atrocities.”
Amid the chaos, Aleema Khan attempted to reassure drenched followers, telling them, “Kids, ghabrana nahin hai … its just water, don’t panic because of water.”
How claims of Khan’s extended isolation created panic
The heavy police response occurred at a moment when PTI was already voicing alarm about increasingly strict conditions inside the prison.
CNN-News18 reported, citing senior jail officials, that Khan
had been shifted back into solitary confinement and had not met either his family or his lawyers for nine days.
This followed a period when meetings — though limited — were sporadically allowed,
including a visit by Uzma Khan last week.
According to PTI, the suspension of all visits was imposed soon after
Khan allegedly used the term “mentally ill” in reference to Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir in a social media post, and after Uzma made remarks to the media following her earlier meeting.
Those statements, later shared on social media through Khan’s account, prompted a sharply critical response from the military’s spokesperson, who labelled the former prime minister a “narcissist” and “mentally ill.”
The party claims that this development led authorities to halt all meetings, effectively isolating the PTI founder.
No official confirmation has been issued by the Pakistan Punjab Police or the federal government regarding whether a formal ban on visits is in place or what legal grounds might justify such a step.
The only publicly stated justification came days earlier, when Pakistan Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar announced that Uzma Khan would no longer be permitted to visit because her previous meeting had allegedly involved political conversation.
He said, “There is no room in the [prison] rules for political discussions and it was reported that political discussions occurred, so meetings are now banned for Uzma Khan. This won’t happen.”
The government has otherwise remained silent on whether broader restrictions are in effect.
How Aleema Khan confronted Islamabad
Before arriving at the protest site, Aleema Khan uploaded video statements accusing the authorities of consistently disregarding court directives and obstructing legally sanctioned access to her brother.
She argued that the PTI had adhered to the law, whereas the state, in her view, had not.
She asked why Khan had been kept from seeing his personal physician for over a year, remarking, “What is the issue in allowing one doctor to meet Imran Khan?”
She also contrasted the situation with the treatment of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his imprisonment, saying that a doctor had remained with him frequently.
Aleema walked toward the jail with supporters before being halted at a barricade located near Gorakhpur Market, around a kilometre from Adiala Jail. Sitting down on the road after being blocked by riot police, she issued another statement questioning the legality of the restrictions on her brother.
She argued that isolating him amounted to unfair treatment, and declared, “This is unconstitutional and illegal. Why are they keeping Imran Khan isolated and tortured? … We will not move from here; they can beat us with sticks or shoot us. Do what you will.”
Her stance prompted larger crowds to gather, many chanting in favour of Khan and demanding open access to him under court-mandated arrangements.
How PTI leaders pushed for access
A number of PTI leaders used the moment to renew criticism of what they described as systemic efforts to deny them fair political space.
Speaking near the prison, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that fulfilling the agreed-upon meeting schedule could “improve the situation” and lower tensions.
He said they had been assured by authorities through a consent order that both family and legal counsel would be granted access but complained that even those commitments were no longer being honoured.
He also underlined that political disagreement should not lead to hostility or division in the country, urging authorities to avoid actions that could exacerbate tensions.
Despite reaching the edge of the cordoned area, he ultimately left without meeting Khan, reported Dawn.
Shahid Khattak, a PTI member of the National Assembly, described the gathering as peaceful and stressed that he was entitled to visit Khan as a parliamentary leader.
He added that party workers had come because they believed Khan remained the only political figure capable of addressing Pakistan’s challenges.
He also raised concerns about military operations in tribal areas and questioned the accuracy of drone strikes, calling for elders from these regions to play a role in efforts to combat militant groups.
Another PTI lawmaker, KP MPA Shafiullah Jan, noted that some commentators had predicted that no one would show up outside Adiala Jail.
He said the turnout demonstrated the level of anger within the party’s base following remarks by the military’s spokesperson, adding that they would continue their sit-in until one of Khan’s sisters was permitted to see him.
What next for PTI and Imran Khan
Imran Khan currently has multiple convictions against him, including lengthy sentences in graft cases, all of which he denies.
His wife, Bushra Bibi, is serving a seven-year prison term related to land transactions in
the al-Qadir Trust case. Both insist they have been targeted for political reasons.
The Islamabad High Court had earlier instructed the Adiala jail administration to implement its March order permitting meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.
In recent weeks, rumours circulated suggesting he was unwell or had been moved out of the facility. At one point, some supporters
claimed he might have been harmed or even killed, though none of these claims have been substantiated.
Political analysts have suggested that denying regular visits to such a prominent figure could backfire on the ruling party and deepen mistrust among PTI supporters already convinced that they have been sidelined from mainstream politics.
PTI was prevented from contesting the 2024 general elections under its electoral symbol, compelling its candidates to run as independents. Despite that handicap, they secured more seats than any single party.
The PTI, however, maintains that the results were manipulated to prevent them from achieving a more decisive victory — allegations rejected by both the government and the military.
The atmosphere around Adiala Jail has grown more charged over the past week. When KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi attempted to visit Khan recently, he was turned away for the ninth time.
PTI wrote on X that “International human rights organisations and champions of democracy must not stay silent in the face of such inhumane and authoritarian actions in Pakistan.”
The party insists it will continue pressing for access to its founder and for the enforcement of court orders permitting regular meetings, while also claiming that public anger is increasing in response to the Pakistan government and military’s stance.
With inputs from agencies
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