Pakistan’s PTI demands access to Imran Khan amid health fears
The party of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has demanded immediate access to him, raising alarm over his health after more than three weeks without contact with family or lawyers.
Khan, serving a 14-year corruption sentence since August 2023, has been held in isolation since November 4. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says the restrictions violate prison rules, which allow weekly visits. PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari accused authorities of blocking meetings and medical support despite Khan’s status as a former premier, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Concerns have sparked protests outside Rawalpindi’s jail and pushed the hashtag whereisimrankhan to trend on social media. Local reports suggested Khan, 73, might be transferred to a higher-security facility, though a jail official denied any such plans and insisted Khan is in good health.
Khan maintains that the corruption cases against him—one of dozens—were politically motivated to sideline him, a charge the military rejects. His arrest in 2023 triggered nationwide protests and a sweeping crackdown on PTI.
Despite the turmoil, PTI emerged as the largest party in the 2024 election, though it claims election rigging helped rivals form the current coalition government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif’s government denies the accusation.
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