Peshawar, Nov 27 (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday staged a dharna near Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after he was denied a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for the eighth time. Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases.
Afridi, accompanied by PTI workers, planned to march towards the prison but was stopped by a heavy police contingent at Factory Naka, forcing him to hold the protest there.
He offered prayers at the sit-in, led by Punjab provincial assembly legislator Hafiz Farhat Abbas.
Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said police had blocked him at the same point where he was stopped earlier this week.
"If you are stopping me again, then give me a written reason for defying court orders," he said, adding that officials did not provide any explanation.
Afridi said the situation was “worsening” and questioned why an entire province was being treated “like a stepmother”. He warned that the treatment meted out to the representative of 25 million people set a “dangerous precedent”.
The PTI leader claimed that even Khan's sisters, lawyers, doctors, and party leaders were not being allowed to meet him.
“These authorities must decide who they stand with,” he warned, hinting at a “final option” without elaborating.
The PTI has voiced increasing concern about Khan's health, alleging that he has been kept in isolation and denied family and legal visits for more than three weeks.
Zulfi Bukhari, an aide to the former prime minister, told the media that no one had seen Imran since November 4.
“His health is our concern. We are worried about his illegal isolation,” he said, demanding immediate access for Khan's family.
However, Adiala jail officials dismissed the allegations, saying Khan was in good health and that they had no information about any planned transfer to another facility.