Roads reopened after hours as protesters were hit by crowd control measures
Police broke up a sit-in near the Adiala factory and prison checkpoint early Wednesday after clashes with protesters, deploying riot units and water cannons to clear the area.
Cold water, mixed with chemicals, was reportedly used to repel the protesters.
PTI founder Aleema Khan’s sisters Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, along with senior party leaders, visited near Adiala jail on Tuesday for a planned family reunion. However, although Tuesday was reserved for visits by families and lawyers, prison authorities informed Aleema Khan and senior PTI leaders around 4 p.m. that the meeting would not be allowed.
Warning that the family would not disperse if the reunion was denied, Aleema Khan said: “If they don’t allow the reunion, then don’t do it. We are sitting here peacefully. Today we even brought blankets with us.”
Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Aleema Khan were caught in the spray of water cannons late at night. Police also arrested demonstrators who had taken refuge in nearby streets, while some of them reportedly responded by throwing stones at them.
Police said the Adiala road has been completely cleared, all barricades and containers have been removed and traffic has been restored. Authorities confirmed that the operation had ended and the protesters had dispersed.
Protest organizers claimed that at least 15 workers were arrested late at night and that Shaukat Basra suffered a broken finger due to police action. They also claimed that police deflated the tires of vehicles belonging to protest leaders, including Aleema Khan.
Read: Imran Khan’s sisters stage sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied meeting with PTI founder
Following the dispersal, Aleema Khan said the protesters would return on Tuesday, December 23 if their demands, particularly regarding the requested meeting, were not met.
Security at Adiala Prison has been beefed up, with the deployment of additional police contingents, water cannons stationed at Gate No. 5 and barricades erected at several entry points, including Gorakhpur and the factory check post. Nearby markets were closed, fuel pumps closed, and public and private schools were closed. PTI workers have also started arriving near the jail amid tight security.
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan strongly condemned the incident on X.
Declaration of condemnation
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan strongly condemns the shocking incident outside Adiala Prison where the turban of famous religious scholar Allama Raja Nasir Abbas @AllamaRajaNasir was forcibly expelled with high pressure water while standing… pic.twitter.com/0UNWEerCRx
— Human Rights Council of Pakistan (@HRCPakistan) December 17, 2025
Learn more: KP CM unable to meet Imran for 9th time
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammed Sohail Afridi also expressed concerns about X.
Aleema Khan said the PTI founder’s demands were limited to constitutional principles. “The founder’s demand is restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law,” she said, adding that Imran Khan had been incarcerated for over two and a half years.
Questioning repeated denials of meetings, she asked why the PTI founder’s family was not allowed to meet him as per the law. “The government should explain to us why the family of the PTI founder is not allowed to meet him,” she said.
