The Pakistani government has barred former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum from further meetings with the jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, saying she and others breached prison regulations during a recent visit.
Uzma Khanum met her brother in Adiala Jail on Tuesday after weeks of attempts, at a time when speculation about Khan’s health had been circulating. Both the government and PTI leaders have insisted the former leader is in good health, but officials had restricted family and legal visits in recent weeks, prompting concerns.
During the meeting, Khan reportedly told his sister that he feared for his life.
Why Has the Government Blocked Visits?
At a press conference on Thursday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, speaking alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, said political discussions had taken place during Uzma Khanum’s visit — something that is not permitted under prison rules.
“There is no room in the [prison] rules for political discussions and it was reported that political discussions occurred, so meetings are now banned for Uzma Khan. This won’t happen,” the minister said.
He added that the authorities had received reports of individuals engaging in “incitement against the state and its officials” following the visit. “Meetings are banned for anyone who violates the rules,” he said, adding it was inappropriate for visitors to “peddle Indian and Afghan stances and orchestrate posts against the army and the army chief”.
Attaullah Tarar said the government had “provided a chance” but would now act firmly. “The meeting has been banned for whoever committed the violation,” he said. “There is zero room for a circus.”
Imran Khan Raises Alarm
Following the visit, PTI issued a statement saying Khan told his sister: “The military establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now murder me.”
The party alleged the 73-year-old former prime minister was being held in solitary confinement without electricity or sunlight, “questionable food”, clean drinking water, medical aid, or basic facilities normally available to inmates.
Khan reportedly told his sister he was being held under conditions similar to those faced by an inmate on death row. “If anything happens to me, the Army Chief and DG ISI will be responsible. I have the same facilities that an inmate on death row has,” the statement quoted him as saying.
He is also quoted as calling Army Chief Gen Asim Munir “the most tyrannical dictator in history” and “mentally unstable”.
Rights Group Voices Concern
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission has expressed alarm over the reported restrictions on Khan’s detention and access to relatives.
In a post on X, the independent rights monitor said it was “seriously concerned” by the reports and called for regular access to both family members and legal counsel, describing such access as a “fundamental safeguard against isolation and misuse of detention powers”.
It urged authorities to ensure compliance with constitutional and international standards on humane treatment.