Lahore:
Surviving in a cell intended for prisoners of death – where the former Prime Minister Imran Khan even sees himself a book, a television or a properly prepared meal – his determination is more and more strong, according to a letter from his wife. The letter was transmitted by a party source that had recently interacted with her in Adiala prison.
Bushra Begum, in his message written by notes memorized by the source of the party, said that Imran Khan was confined in a designated room for those waiting. The stifling space contained a simple bed and a small bathroom in the area, leaving no room to move and little air to breathe. For 18 hours a day, she said, he was locked in this room, completely alone.
“Imagine a man who once directed a nation now confined to such a narrow space that he eliminates the very feeling of being,” she said.
According to her, the guards were invited not to speak to her. “Even if you try to make a visual contact, they lower their eyes as if they were ordered not to interact with him. It is a deliberate isolation intended to break all the human connection,” she said.
Bushra also allegedly alleged that food had been transformed into a torment tool. Unleashed cooks have been responsible for preparing his meals, to be replaced once they started to understand his needs. When he turned to television for a brief distraction, she was removed. The books have also been refused. What remained, she said, was “total isolation, total silence”.
She added that every Tuesday, Imran Khan is waiting for a meeting with her. “He is preparing, believing that we are going to speak, if only for a few minutes. However, week after week, at the last moment, the meeting is canceled. This fragile Hope gets up, only to be crushed again and again.”
The same model, she said, applies to her legal affairs. The hearings are planned with anticipation but postponed or canceled for no reason. Sometimes the lawyers for his defense team are denied access, while others without direct role in cases are authorized instead.
“It is not just imprisonment. It is the mental torture of the highest order. It is a systematic attempt to break the mind of a man,” she said.
But, she wrote, cruelty cannot overcome faith. “As the difficulties increase, Allah’s blessings. With each act of injustice, Imran Khan’s resolution is strengthened. At every moment of suffering, love and support of people are deepening. His mind increases even if they are trying to limit his body.”
Bushra described the situation as a dark chapter in the history of the nation, “the one who tests not only my husband but all of us”. She wrote that Imran Khan endure this test with patience and unwavering faith.
