Authorities in Pakistan faced intense scrutiny after a late-night confrontation outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail resulted in the detention and alleged manhandling of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters. The clash unfolded after the three sisters — Aleema, Uzma, and Noreen Khan — were denied their weekly meeting with Imran and subsequently held a nearly 10-hour sit-in that drew widespread media attention.
Imran Khan has been incarcerated for more than two years in connection with cases involving the sale of state gifts and other corruption charges. His family has repeatedly alleged that he is being kept in solitary confinement under harsh, inhumane conditions.
On Tuesday, the sisters waited for hours outside the prison before staging their sit-in. The confrontation escalated when police moved in to disperse them. PTI leaders claimed that a woman police officer pulled Noreen by her hair, dragged her along the road, and pushed her to the ground, while Aleema and Uzma were also forcibly handled.
A visibly shaken Noreen later recounted, “She held my arm, dragged me by my legs. Tragically, they can stoop to this level. Punjab police is behaving like savages.” Aleema added that Noreen was “almost unconscious” at one point and accused officers of tearing their chaddars during the scuffle.
PTI condemned the police action, alleging that the area around the protest site had been flooded intentionally and that the lights were switched off to cause confusion before officers forcibly removed the women. The party also claimed that several other workers, including women, were subjected to violence.
Aleema publicly blamed Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for ordering the crackdown. She reiterated earlier accusations made by Imran Khan, who has repeatedly alleged that Munir is directing a campaign against him and his family.
The episode has intensified political tensions and raised further questions about the treatment of detainees and their families under Pakistan’s current security establishment.
