ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday alleged that he is being subjected to inhumane conditions during his imprisonment at Adiala Jail, calling it the “harshest prison term in the country’s history,” and urged his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to unite ahead of a planned protest on August 5.
In a message shared through his legal team on X, Khan said, “Never in the history of Pakistan has any political leader been subjected to the treatment that I am currently enduring.”
Khan, who has been in custody since his conviction in multiple cases, claimed that he is being denied basic rights, including access to clean water, books, newspapers, television, and contact with his children. He also said that his wife, Bushra Bibi, is being held under “inhumane conditions.”
The former premier, ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and later arrested following a series of legal challenges, compared his situation to that of rival Nawaz Sharif, alleging preferential treatment for the former prime minister despite corruption convictions.
Khan said he has been allowed only limited political meetings, restricted to “certain choice individuals,” and warned party members against infighting.
“Every member of the party must immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the movement planned for August 5th,” he said.
“Anyone found engaging in factionalism within the party will be expelled.”
He also criticized the current government, formed after the February 8, 2024 controversial general elections, accusing it of manipulating results and undermining judicial independence through the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
“The so-called government formed through Form 47 has crippled the judiciary,” he said. “We must launch a robust campaign to liberate the judiciary, for no nation can survive, let alone progress, without judicial independence.”
Khan maintains that the PTI secured a public mandate in the February 2024 elections, despite its candidates running without the party’s electoral symbol, and urged leaders to reflect the will of the people.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.