Imran Khan’s cousin denied jail visit as sisters remain detained ahead of PTI march

New Delhi: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, was denied another family meeting on Tuesday, when his cousin was unable to see him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, according to his lawyer. The refusal came while Khan’s three sisters remained in detention ahead of a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest demanding his release.

The lawyer, Awais Younas Chaudhry, said Khan’s cousin, Qasim Zaman, arrived at about 2pm and waited beyond 4pm without securing access. Lawyers who had separately sought permission to meet Khan also left without seeing him, he said.

Chaudhry said another relative had been sent because the sisters’ detention prevented their usual visit, and the family wanted to establish that someone had appeared for the scheduled meeting. Otherwise, he argued, prison authorities could tell the Islamabad High Court that the visit had not happened because nobody had come.

The high court has permitted visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the Supreme Court separately directed authorities in August to facilitate family access. According to Chaudhry, the last family meeting was with Khan’s sister, Noreen Niazi, on August 25.

The dispute over prison access now coincides with a legal challenge to the detention of Noreen and her sisters, Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan. Authorities issued 30-day detention orders under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance ahead of PTI’s September 27 protest and march towards Islamabad.

Aleema’s son, Shahraiz Khan, has petitioned the Lahore high court to set aside the orders and release the three women. His petition argues that the administration failed to identify specific conduct justifying preventive detention and disputes the claim that Aleema posed a threat to public order.

The administration has presented a different account, citing public safety concerns as the basis for Aleema’s detention. Reuters reported that the Lahore district administration considered her presence in public a significant threat to safety, while PTI condemned the action as an attempt to obstruct its mobilization.

Further arguments on whether Aleema’s detention challenge can proceed are scheduled for September 25. The court has yet to settle that preliminary question.

PTI has vowed to proceed with the September 27 demonstration despite arrests of its supporters and lawmakers. The interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has said the government will take the measures necessary to prevent the march, leaving the authorities and opposition on a collision course over the planned gathering.