Sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan sit outside Adiala jail after they were denied a meeting on Tuesday. Photo: X/PTI
RAWALPINDI:
After dispersing a PTI sit-in protest outside Adiala jail in the wee hours of Wednesday, authorities in Rawalpindi arrested hundreds of people, including the septuagenarian sisters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, under the country’s anti-terrorism law.
Imran’s sisters – Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan – along with senior party leaders visited Adiala jail on Tuesday for a planned family meeting with the imprisoned PTI founder.
Prison authorities, however, informed Aleema Khan and senior PTI leaders around 4 p.m. that the meeting could not be allowed. Imran’s family members and PTI leaders staged a sit-in outside the prison to protest what they called an illegal denial of their right to meet the PTI founder.
According to eyewitnesses, riot police launched a crackdown around 3 a.m. on Wednesday and used high-pressure water cannons to disperse the sit-in near the factory checkpoint outside the prison, amid clashes with PTI supporters.
Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Aleema Khan were also caught in the jets of the water cannon. Police also began rounding up protesters who had taken refuge in nearby streets or who had thrown stones at officials and arrested 14 of them.
The police quickly cleared the Adiala road, removed all barricades and containers and restored traffic.
The police then registered a first information report (FIR) against hundreds of people under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997. According to the FIR, around 300-400 PTI supporters had gathered outside the jail on the call of Aliya Hamza.
“They continuously raised slogans against the Government of Pakistan and state institutions, blocked the road and caused serious inconvenience and distress to the general public.
“The police officers repeatedly, calmly and courteously, asked them to disperse, explaining that their actions were endangering patients, commuters and residents in the area.”
He claimed that despite warnings, several individuals in the crowd mistreated the police officers, attempted to seize and assault them, tore their uniforms and obstructed the officials in the exercise of their lawful duties.
They also inspired others to take justice into their own hands. Some unidentified persons also attacked the mobile vehicle of Adiala police check post with stones, sticks and sharp objects, causing damage to the vehicle.
“The illegal mob also vandalized property, attempted to scale walls and sprayed political slogans. Some individuals prepared Molotov cocktails and threw them at the police with the intention of causing damage, which led to a fire on the road, spreading fear and panic in the area.”
According to the FIR, police managed to arrest 14 of the suspected rioters while other people managed to flee in the chaos caused by the crackdown.
The police presented these PTI supporters before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) presided over by Justice Syed Amjad Ali Shah on Wednesday morning. The court, accepting the police request, remanded the accused to custody for three days.
Amnesty International later condemned the use of water cannons during the PTI protest. In an article on
“Pakistani authorities must respect the people’s right to peaceful protest and end the disproportionate and punitive use of force,” he said. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi also expressed concerns over the crackdown against X.
Event to be repeated next week
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.
Aleema Khan said the PTI founder’s demands were limited to constitutional principles. “The founder’s demand is the restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law,” she said.
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.
