Opposition Takes Exception to Yet Another Adiala PTI Sit-in Crackdown

ISLAMABAD: The opposition alliance led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday strongly criticised the Punjab police for dispersing protesters staging a sit-in outside Adiala Jail in the early hours of the day, condemning the use of water cannons against family members of former prime minister Imran Khan and party supporters.

This marked the third instance in recent weeks in which police used force to break up the protest outside the prison. Imran Khan’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi — along with dozens of PTI supporters, have been holding weekly sit-ins to demand permission to meet the incarcerated PTI founder.

Videos shared by PTI’s Punjab chapter on social media platform X shortly after 1am showed police deploying water cannons to disperse the crowd. The party claimed that protesters, including women and children, were subjected to water cannons amid cold weather conditions. “In the severe cold, an attack with water cannons was carried out on unarmed, peaceful children, women and citizens,” the party said in a post.

In a statement issued later in the day, the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), an opposition alliance, condemned the police action and the arrest of Imran Khan’s sisters and several PTI workers during the late-night operation. According to the
statement, the detainees were later released near Chakri on the motorway.

The opposition alliance further alleged that the water used during the operation was mixed with chemicals, claiming that hundreds of supporters were adversely affected. The TTAP spokesperson said the use of what it described as “heavy-handed tactics” would not deter the alliance from continuing its movement. The statement added that the group would persist in its struggle against what it termed violations of basic human rights.

Meanwhile, PTI submitted another list of six individuals to the Adiala Jail administration, seeking permission for them to meet Imran Khan on Thursday. The letter, addressed to the jail superintendent and signed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, named Dr Amjad, Sibghatullah, Usman Bhattani, Jamal Khan, Iqbal Khattak and Shoaib Ameer Awan.

The PTI has repeatedly complained that court orders regarding meetings with the former prime minister are not being implemented. An order issued by the Islamabad High Court on March 24 directed that Imran Khan be allowed to meet designated individuals twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Despite the order, the party maintains that access to its leader continues to be restricted. Government and police officials did not immediately comment on the latest crackdown or the allegations raised by the opposition.

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