ছবি: কারাবন্দী ইমরান খানের সঙ্গে ৮ ফেব্রুয়ারি পর্যন্ত সব সাক্ষাৎ বন্ধ
No one will be allowed to meet Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan until 8 February. This was stated by the country’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry last Monday. The minister made the remark in response to a question while appearing on the TV program Capital Talk aired by Pakistan’s Geo News.
Despite a court order, prison authorities have blocked visits, prompting Imran Khan’s family and party to express deep concern about his physical condition and the environment in which he is being held. Even a UN Special Rapporteur warned that the conditions under which Imran Khan is being kept could constitute inhumane or degrading treatment.
However, Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry claimed that a prison is not the “headquarters of a political party.” He also criticized PTI for “making allegations against state institutions and their heads.”
The PML-N leader further said that in the past, PTI leaders were regularly allowed to meet their founder at Adiala Prison, and the government had no objections. However, he alleged that such meetings were later turned into political press conferences outside the prison and narratives were created that “Indian media exploit.”
In response, PTI leader Ali Zafar said that, according to the country’s constitution, “solitary confinement” amounts to torture. He added that Chaudhry’s statements violate human rights as well as local and international laws.
Last week, when Imran Khan’s sister, party leaders, and workers protested outside Adiala Prison over being denied a meeting with the former Prime Minister, authorities used water cannons to disperse them.
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