Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is alive and in good health, his sister Uzma Khanum said on Tuesday after meeting the incarcerated Opposition leader in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
Speaking to reporters outside the Adiala jail, Khanum said while Khan is all right, he is being mentally tortured. “Alhamdulillah, he is all right… But he was angry about being mentally tortured. He is locked in his cell all day… can only step out for short periods. And he can’t communicate with anyone,” she added.
Khanum said that she would provide in-depth updates after consultations with her sisters, Aleema Khan and Noreen Khan.
This ends the weeks-long speculation about Imran Khan’s health. Some reports even claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader had died inside the jail, giving rise to widespread protests from his supporters
The development comes on a day when PTI workers held protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail, visitation rights to the jailed leader’s family.
The PTI had been claiming that the jail authorities were not allowing anyone from the party or Khan’s family to meet him in jail.
Ahead of the protests, Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was imposed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had also warned the media that action would be taken without any discrimination if they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail.
The PTI founder has been lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since August 2023, following his removal from office in 2022.