Pakistan's opposition party PTI demands meeting with ex-PM Imran in jail amid health worries

The party of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan demanded a meeting with him on Thursday, saying it was worried about his health as he has been barred from seeing his family and lawyers for over three weeks.

Imran has been in jail since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges, one of dozens of cases he says were made up to keep him out of politics by the army, a charge the military denies.

Zulfikar Bukhari, spokesperson of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said no one has seen Imran Khan since Nov.4, and no reason had been given for not having a meeting. Khan is being denied visits and medical support despite his status of a former prime minister.

"His health is our concern. We are worried about his illegal isolation," Bukhari told Reuters, demanding the government give Khan's family immediate access to him.

'WHERE IS IMRAN KHAN?'

Imran Khan's family and party members have protested outside the jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in recent days demanding a meeting. They plan to visit the prison again on Thursday to press their demand, Bukhari said.

Prison rules allow Imran  to meet outsiders at least once a week, although jail authorities can suspend such access. There have been long gaps spanning weeks when Khan was not allowed to meet outsiders, the party said.

Local media reported that the 73-year-old former international cricketer might be moved to a high-security prison to make meeting him more challenging.

Imran Khan's status has become a talking point on social media and #WHEREISIMRANKHAN was trending on X on Thursday.
Pakistan's interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

KHAN IN GOOD HEALTH, JAIL OFFICIAL SAYS

A jail official told Reuters that the former premier was in good health, and that he was not aware of any plans to move him to any other facility. He spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Imran Khan, elected as prime minister in 2018, was ousted in 2022 through a vote in parliament after he fell out with military generals, who play a significant role in making or breaking governments in the Islamic country of 240 million people.

His arrest in May 2023 sparked protests against the military nationwide, leading to a crackdown on the party.

The party emerged as the single biggest in the 2024 election and says that rigging robbed it of more seats to help other parties form a coalition government under Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Shahbaz and his allies deny the charges.

Reuters