LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Moeen-ud-Din Riaz Qureshi has criticised the Punjab government for deploying police force against the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and the party workers.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Qureshi stated that another dark chapter in the history of democracy was written last night. He emphasised that, despite court orders, Khan’s sisters had been denied the right to meet him in Adiala Jail for the past two months. He condemned the government’s “fascist and barbaric attitude,” which was evident during the police action against the sisters.
It may be noted that the Rawalpindi police on late Tuesday night ended a PTI sit-in outside Adiala Jail and arrested Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi, and Uzma Khan. However, late at night, the police released them at the Chakri Interchange. Aleema Khan staged a 10-hour long sit-in near the jail after being denied a meeting with the PTI founder. During the operation, police also took several PTI workers into custody.
“After turning off the street lights, the police used water cannons on our women activists, dragged women by their hair, and baton-charged the men. Women, including Alima Khan, Azma Khan, and Nooreen Bibi, were beaten and thrown into a police van. Such abuse of state power is tearing the country apart instead of uniting it. The TikTok Chief Minister, who came into power through Form 47, should hang his head in shame,” he added.
He highlighted that Khan’s sisters were on the road, hoping to meet their brother in Adiala Jail, but had been denied access despite the court’s orders.
He noted that there is heightened military tension, conflict, and instability along the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Under these adverse circumstances, he stressed the need for unity and solidarity among the provinces. However, he lamented that the government’s actions were spreading unrest throughout the country, which could have serious repercussions.
Qureshi recalled that in 1971, even the army couldn’t control the situation without the support of the people. “When we do not receive justice and the establishment resorts to brutal force, pushing a major political party against the wall, there will be a forceful reaction. I have always said that allowing space is a part of politics, but the government was unwilling to provide that space or even listen to the opposition members,” he stated.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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