Pakistan’s KPK CM alleges Imran Khan subjected to mistreatment in jail
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohaib Afridi alleged that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are facing mistreatment in Adiala Jail, citing lack of basic necessities and harsh treatment. Afridi condemned the use of water cannons on Khan’s sisters and criticised repeated denial of meeting requests
Peshawar: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Chief Minister Muhammad Sohaib Afridi on Friday alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being subjected to mistreatment in jail.
Afridi’s comments came after he was denied permission to meet incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for the 10th time by the Adiala jail administration on Thursday.
Addressing a meeting of the Provincial Cabinet, Afridi said that despite the harsh winter, basic necessities and warm clothing were not being provided to the detained couple.
The Chief Minister said that the use of water cannon against Imran Khan’s sisters was “shameful,” adding that the provincial government strongly condemned such “unjust and inhumane behaviour.” Khan, 73, has been in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023 in multiple cases.
Speaking to media persons on Thursday, Afridi said that it was strange that an elected chief minister was not being allowed to meet his party’s founding chairman despite court orders to the contrary.
He warned that both the federal and Punjab government leadership would face consequences once the PTI returned to power at the Centre.
Afridi said efforts had been underway for the past three years to “minus Imran”, but all such attempts had failed. The government and the “powers that be” should engage in talks with Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, as Imran had authorised them to represent him in negotiations, he added.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, stated on Thursday that Afridi was denied a meeting with Khan “based on intelligence reports”, The News International reported on Friday.
“Imran Khan wanted to orchestrate another event similar to the November 26 protests in Islamabad on the same date this year, and that Afridi’s appointment as chief minister was part of this plan — a plot he claimed has been foiled,” the report quoted him as saying.
Replying to a question about Faiz Hameed’s sentencing, Afridi said it was an “internal matter of the institution”.
Authorities used water cannons to disperse protesters, including the sisters of the PTI founder, who were staging a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with the ex-premier.
The sit-in, led by Aleema and also including Imran’s other sisters Uzma and Noreen, was staged outside the jail on Tuesday after she was once again denied a meeting with the ex-premier.
Senior party members, including PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and PTI KP Provincial President Junaid Akbar Khan, had also joined the demonstration.
