ISLAMABAD — In a highly anticipated family visit to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Prison, Uzma Khan, sister of incarcerated former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported Tuesday that the opposition leader remains in good physical health but is experiencing extreme distress due to prolonged solitary detention conditions.
The visitation marked the first familial access granted to Khan since November 4, ending weeks of speculation about the politician’s wellbeing that had prompted concerns among his supporters nationwide. During her brief meeting, Uzma Khan characterized her brother’s condition as “perfectly in good health” but noted he expressed profound anger regarding his isolation, which he described as “mental torture worse than physical abuse.”
Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had mobilized hundreds of supporters outside the prison facility throughout the day, awaiting confirmation about their leader’s status. Security forces responded with significant deployments around the complex and implemented rally bans in both Rawalpindi and the capital Islamabad to prevent large gatherings.
The 73-year-old former cricket icon has been serving multiple concurrent prison sentences since 2023 following convictions on corruption and other charges that his supporters allege are politically motivated attempts to dismantle his political career. His wife, Bushra Bibi, remains incarcerated in the same facility on graft convictions, though prison authorities prohibit direct contact between the couple except during court appearances.
Khan’s spokesperson, Zulfiquar Bukhari, condemned the restrictive visitation policies as inadequate, demanding regular access for both family members and legal representatives while characterizing the isolation measures as psychological torture.
The political context remains intensely charged, with Khan’s party maintaining that their electoral mandate was illegitimately overturned in the 2024 parliamentary elections through systematic rigging favoring current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—allegations the sitting government consistently denies. Khan was originally removed from power through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and now leads the opposition movement from his prison cell.