Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohaib Afridi on Friday alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being mistreated in Adiala Jail, saying they were not being provided basic necessities or warm clothing despite harsh winter conditions. Afridi made the remarks after the Adiala jail administration denied him permission to meet the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder for the 10th time.
Afridi condemned the use of water cannon against Imran Khan’s sisters, calling the action “shameful” and describing the treatment as “unjust and inhumane.” Khan, 73, has been held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023 in multiple cases.
Speaking to reporters, Afridi said it was strange that an elected chief minister was not allowed to meet his party’s founding chairman despite court orders and warned that federal and Punjab leaders would face consequences once PTI returned to power at the centre. He claimed efforts over the past three years to sideline Imran had failed and urged the government and other powers to engage in talks with Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, whom he said Imran had authorised to represent him.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah told The News International that Afridi’s meeting was denied “based on intelligence reports,” alleging Imran intended to orchestrate protests similar to the November 26 demonstrations in Islamabad and that Afridi’s appointment as chief minister was part of that plan.
Afridi described Faiz Hameed’s sentencing as an “internal matter of the institution.” Earlier this week, authorities used water cannon to disperse a sit-in outside Adiala Jail staged by protesters including Imran’s sisters Aleema, Uzma and Noreen after they were repeatedly denied a meeting with the former prime minister. Senior PTI members, including Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and KP Provincial President Junaid Akbar Khan, also joined the demonstration.
