‘Not allowed to meet, kept in isolation…’: Imran Khan’s sister issues BIG statement, alleges Adiala Jail…

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has been at the forefront of the nation’s political scene for over a decade. As a prominent political leader, he quickly gained fame for his rhetoric against corruption and gained a massive following with his vision for creating a “Naya Pakistan.”

Who is Imran Khan’s sister, and what did she say about his jail conditions?

There have been numerous unverified posts circulating on social media this week suggesting that former Prime Minister Imran Khan, age 73, was murdered inside Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, where he has been incarcerated since August 2023. This has led to a lot of confusion and worry amongst people regarding whether Imran Khan has indeed been murdered while incarcerated. Now, Noreen Niazi, the sister of jailed and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, has finally spoken.

Imran, 73, has been in custody since August 2023 and is currently imprisoned in Adiala jail in a 190 million-pound corruption case. He also faces trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act linked to the events of May 9, 2023.  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) has repeatedly voiced concerns regarding his health while in detention, Dawn noted.

What are the allegations she has made about censorship?

Noreen Niazi, who is the sister of imprisoned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, shared about just how extensive media censorship has become in Pakistan. She expressed that “the establishment in Pakistan has been on a witch hunt against those who invest in journalism, and to an extent have oppressed them so badly through that witch hunt that they won’t speak up again after they are released. While speaking to news agency ANI, Noreen Niazi stated, “Censorship in Pakistan is so extreme that they apprehend media people. Shorab Barkat, who used to run a channel, has been picked up. Before, they picked up journalist Agha Sheikh Sarwar. They (authorities) oppress them so much that when they are let out, they’re not even allowed to speak.”

What are the allegations she has made against Adiala Jail?

She stated that the situation in Pakistan is such that popular names in the media remain in exile and can’t return since their passports have been “blocked” and their land has been confiscated by the authorities here.”Major popular names in Pakistan’s media are currently outside the country. They’ve fled and can’t return. Their accounts in Pakistan are blocked, their properties have been confiscated, and their passports have been blocked. Those who are still here are courageous,” she further added.

Why is access to Imran Khan being restricted, according to his sister?

Noreen Niazi, one of the three sisters of jailed and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, expressed anguish over the uncertainty looming about her brother’s condition in jail, saying that the authorities haven’t allowed her and others to meet him for over four weeks. While talking to news agency ANI, Niazi highlighted the oppression faced by the cricketer-turned-politician, claiming that the authorities were deliberately holding information about his condition in jail, withholding access to reach him.

She stated, “We don’t know anything. They are not telling us anything, nor are they letting anybody meet him. His party’s people went there because they had a meeting scheduled, but they were not allowed inside. We have not been allowed to meet him for the last four weeks. We got to know that news was circulating in India(BHARAT) that he had been killed.”

How long has Imran Khan been incarcerated in Adiala Jail?

When asked about the last meeting with her brother, Niazi recalled the time when Imran Khan was kept in isolation for nearly three weeks last year, with no electricity. Additionally, she stated it violated the prison manual, which specifies that isolation may not exceed four days. She claimed that Khan is now being meted out the same treatment. “He is going through a tough time alone. He is in isolation. As per the jail manual, one can’t be placed in isolation for more than four days. But he was put in isolation for three weeks last year as well, during which electricity was switched off during summer, and he wasn’t even allowed to read books. The same has been done now. No one knows what’s happening inside the jail. This is the pinnacle of oppression,” Niazi said.

She accused the Shehbaz Sharif government of “rigging elections” and said that it oppresses its own people because it is a “weak” government consisting of people who lost the elections.

(With ANI Inputs)