ISLAMABAD - The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday imposed a two-week ban on visits, meetings and interviews of prisoners including incarcerated former prime minister and PTI founding chief Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. In the provincial government orders issued to the Punjab IG, the department maintained that the decision was taken in the light of a ‘threat alert’ issued for the prison by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The department’s Internal Security Wing reported that terrorists who have the support of anti-state groups wanted to target the prison to spread chaos in the country. Hence, it was important for the department to take necessary measures to avoid such incidents.
It may be recalled here that the prison’s administration has fixed Tuesdays and Thursdays for meetings with the PTI founder.
Earlier, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI leader Omer Ayub along with others separately arrived at the jail but the police authorities didn’t allow them to meet Imran Khan.
Those who were not allowed to meet Imran, included Acting PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, former speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, former Azad Kashmir prime minister Sardar Qayyum Niazi, besides other party leaders Atif Khan, Shahram Tarakai, Sher Afzal Marwat, and Seembia Tahir.
The police also stopped the media from covering those who had come to meet Imran Khan.
They have barricaded Gate 5 of the prison and removed media vehicles from the site. The police also cordoned off the place where cameras were placed outside the jail.
PTI has denounced the Punjab government’s ban on all public visits, meetings and interviews at the Adiala jail where party chief Imran Khan is serving his sentence in different cases.
PTI leadership expressed serious apprehensions over the safety and security of former prime minister Khan saying his life was in danger while in jail.
They also alleged that the move of imposing a ban on visits in Adiala Jail on the pretext of security threats was actually part of a large scheme to isolate ex-premier and would affect the tickets distribution mechanism of the party for the upcoming Senate elections that are scheduled for April 2.
Addressing a press conference here, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said that he matter was related to the safety and security of their leader Khan,
“We demand that before imposing this blanket ban, Khan’s family members and lawyers should have been informed,” he added.
Flanked by PTI Secretary General and the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, party chairman Gohar said that the ex-premier’s life was in danger and he already expressed his distrust on those who kept him in detention. He demanded that they should be instantly informed about the actual situation regarding health, safety and security of the party founder.
He asserted that they should be allowed to meet Khan by all means today.
The PTI chairman remarked that in the first place, the party founder was embroiled in “fabricated and politically motivated cases” and was convicted through unjust speedy trials. However, he expressed optimism that the judiciary would do justice and he would be cleared of all these “bogus and fake” cases soon.
Gohar underlined that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ruled that routine meetings with the jailed leader could be held on Tuesday and Thursday. “But neither his family, lawyers and the party leadership were allowed to meet him nor were told that a blanket ban had been imposed on all meetings in jail owing to the security threats.”
He claimed that former first lady Bushra Bibi was confined to a tiny room at the couple’s residence in Bani Gala and was kept in a worse condition than the Adiala Jail.
Speaking on the occasion, PTI Secretary General Omar said that he was not being allowed to meet Khan despite the court’s orders.