ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accused the government on Monday of placing their founding chairman and ex-prime minister Imran Khan in a ‘solitary confinement’ at Adiala Jail.
Talking to journalists, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said that visitors are not allowed to meet Imran Khan, including political allies and family members.
He stated that according to the law, Imran Khan is entitled to meetings with his legal counsel and family, but these rights have been blocked.
He claimed that despite a court ruling permitting six people to meet Khan, the authorities had not allowed the meetings to take place.
He added that court orders are being disregarded, with Imran Khan’s wife being denied meetings with him twice without any explanation.
“We have filed a contempt of court petition. To meet Imran Khan, one has to approach the court, yet even after the contempt petition, meetings are not being allowed,” he claimed.
Akram expressed concern about the numerous cases registered against Imran Khan, questioning how he could effectively communicate with his legal team when court orders are being disregarded.
He also said that despite court orders, Imran Khan is not being allowed to meet his children or sign power of attorney papers.
Akram criticised the government’s approach to the Ramadan relief package, highlighting the contrast between the assistance offered by the previous PTI government and the current administration’s limited support.
He also mentioned that during PTI’s tenure, the Ehsaas programme offered Rs15,000 per family, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is giving Rs10,000 per family. In contrast, the federal government is offering only Rs5,000 per family in its Ramadan package which is a peanut when inflation is skyrocketing.
Akram urged the federal government to prioritise spending money on the public instead of personal publicity and to avoid the misuse of authority as a form of political bribery.
Meanwhile, PTI allies, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai, also condemned depriving the former prime minister from his constitutional right of meeting with his legal team, family members, and party leaders.
They stated that keeping a former prime minister in solitary confinement in prison is in no way justified, as neither the law nor the constitution allows such treatment of the leader of the country’s largest political party.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025