Police used a water cannon early Wednesday to disperse a sit-in led by Aleema Khan outside Adiala Jail after authorities declined permission for a meeting with the incarcerated Former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.
Aleema Khan, along with her sisters Noreen Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, had begun the protest at around 2pm on Tuesday, joined by party workers and former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. The sit-in continued for nearly 12 hours until police launched an operation at about 2.10am, deploying high-pressure cold-water spray to clear the road.
عمران خان کے بہنوں پر تشدد۔۔۔دسمبر کے مہینے میں رات کے 2 بجے اڈیالہ جیل کے سامنے اپنے بھائی کی ملاقات کیلئے آئے نہتے بزرگ خواتین پر بدترین تشدد سے ثابت ہوگیا کہ یہ حکومت اور اس کے سرپرست ذہنی مریض ہیں،عمران خان کی بہنوں کا اپنے بھائی سے ملاقات کا مطالبہ ایک آئینی، قانونی انسانی… pic.twitter.com/qJCp4H0GNK
— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan | سینیٹر مشتاق احمد خان (@SenatorMushtaq) December 9, 2025
Police confirmed that several PTI workers were detained during the operation. The force of the water displaced protesters from the main road to an adjacent empty plot, while traffic routes around the jail were reopened after the area was cleared.
PTI MNA Shahid Khattak sustained a leg fracture after slipping into a drain during the commotion. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors applied a plaster and advised a month of bed rest.
Read: Negotiations underway as PTI sit-in continues outside Adiala jail
Aleema Khan said the group would return next Tuesday to continue their protest. Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan criticised the police action, saying the use of high-pressure and freezing cold water at pre-dawn hours endangered the safety for all, especially for women and elderly participants.
Protesters continued chanting slogans throughout the operation, calling for permission to meet the former PTI chief. Authorities have not commented on whether such access will be granted.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali warned on Wednesday that if one “step is taken against them,” the consequences could spiral beyond anyone’s control.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House, Barrister Gohar said, “This is not a business where if one is taken away, the other remains. If one goes down, no one will be left. Water cannons were even used against Imran Khan’s sisters. Enough is enough.”
He criticised the continued denial of meetings with Imran Khan, saying that those who come for visits are met with water cannon fire. “If they were allowed to sit for two hours, what harm could it have done to the country or the nation?” he asked.
Barrister Gohar also dismissed official claims that Khan’s tweets were the reason for restricting meetings. “Why are meetings not arranged for other families, such as Bushra Bibi’s, who hold press conferences?” he questioned.
He added that while they initially believed such measures would have little effect, the situation could escalate beyond anyone’s control. “We are part of the system to ensure democracy survives. Right now, we represent 30 million people,” he said.
Referring to recent political developments, he said, “Yesterday, a resolution was passed in the provincial assembly. This time, you are turning the federation’s units against each other. What restrictions are you planning to impose on PTI? You have not even accepted the certificate yet. If things continue like this, within a month the situation will be completely beyond your control.”
The standoff unfolded against a broader backdrop of increasingly restricted access to PTI founder Imran Khan, who has remained in Adiala Jail since his conviction in multiple cases. Although Tuesdays are formally designated for family and legal meetings, PTI leaders say access has been inconsistent for weeks, with prison authorities citing “security concerns” and administrative instructions.
Tensions intensified when Imran’s sisters were informed shortly before the end of visiting hours that no meeting would take place. Officials, according to party members present at the site, also declined to confirm whether a visit would be permitted later in the week, prompting widespread frustration within the party.
The refusal triggered an immediate sit-in outside the jail that rapidly grew as senior PTI leadership—including the party chairman, secretary general, and multiple MNAs—arrived at the scene.
Chants continued into the night as the jail authorities placed the surrounding area under near-total lockdown. Roads remained sealed for several kilometres, commercial activity was suspended, and police quietly relocated vehicles belonging to PTI workers, further sharpening tensions.
Read More: PTI says Imran ‘not a security threat’
Aleema Khan repeatedly emphasised that the protest remained peaceful and said the party had no confrontation with the police.
However, she strongly criticised the persistent ban on meetings, terming it psychological pressure on the former prime minister and questioning the state’s rationale for treating him as a “national security threat”. She also rejected claims of political discussions inside previous meetings, saying family conversations were being mischaracterised to justify further restrictions.
By late night, PTI leaders were warning that prolonged denial of access would only widen political fissures and deepen public unease — setting the stage for the early-morning police operation that followed.
