Amid Imran Khan death rumours, supporters gear up for mega protest

Amid ongoing concerns surrounding the death of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, who has remained inaccessible to party leaders and his family, his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has announced protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday (December 2) over restrictions on visitation rights.

Ban on public gatherings

The decision to gather outside the court and the prison comes despite a ban on public assemblies in both cities.

The Islamabad administration imposed the two-month ban on November 18, while the Rawalpindi district administration issued a separate notification on Monday (December 1) enforcing a three-day ban on gatherings, according to a report by Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

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According to the daily, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 also empowers the district magistrate to regulate public gatherings in the Pakistani capital.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser said Opposition lawmakers from both houses of parliament would protest outside the Islamabad High Court before moving their demonstration to Adiala Jail.

“It has been decided to hold protests because Islamabad High Court has failed to implement its order and the Adiala Jail administration is not willing to implement the court orders,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn.

Speculations about Imran Khan's health

Last week, the chief minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province held a sit-in outside the prison after he was barred from meeting Khan for the eighth time. The former premier's family members, too, have reportedly been denied access for several weeks.

Although there has been speculation about Khan’s health, both the government and PTI leaders have maintained that the former prime minister is in good condition.

Also Read: Adiala Jail denies Imran Khan's death rumours, says he is healthy

Qaiser said he would attend a public meeting in Quetta on Tuesday, while other PTI leaders would lead protests in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. He added that a parliamentary committee had also demanded Khan’s release, calling the denial of family visits a violation of human rights, the Dawn reported.

Family fears the worst

The protests have been planned outside Adiala Jail, where Khan has been held since August 2023, and the Islamabad High Court. Khan’s family claims they have not been allowed to meet him for more than a month and continue to demand proof that he is alive.

Khan’s sons fear authorities may be concealing “something irreversible” about his condition. One of his sons, Kasim Khan, told Reuters the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with the jailed former leader, despite a judicial order allowing weekly meetings.

“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said in written remarks, adding that there had been no independently confirmed communication for months, according to an NDTV report.

“We have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” he added. He earlier alleged that his father had been “kept alone in a death cell in an environment of complete isolation.”

Visitation rights denied

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case, one of several charges he says were fabricated to sideline him politically.

His family argues that the absence of communication has intensified fears of a deliberate effort to keep the former prime minister out of public view.

Also Read: Imran Khan’s sisters allege police assault amid concern over his health

PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari has said no one has seen Khan since November 4, and no explanation has been given for denying visits. He also alleged that the former premier is being refused medical support, according to India Today.

Last week, a PTI delegation visited Adiala Jail, but authorities again denied access. Local media reports suggest Khan may have been moved to a high-security facility, which would further restrict attempts to meet him.