RAWALPINDI(National Times)- Incarcerated ex-prime minister Imran Khan’s sister, Noreen Niazi, was allowed entry into Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the PTI founder be allowed weekly meetings with his family.
Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Despite an order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) allowing the incarcerated ex-premier to have twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates, Imran has been restricted from meeting visitors for several months.
On Tuesday, however, Noreen Niazi was allowed entry into the jail to meet with Imran after all three of his sisters and his cousin Qasim Zaman were stopped at Dahgal Naka, a security checkpoint and road intersection located on Adiala Road.
Only Noreen was sent by police to Adiala jail’s Gate no. 5, while Imran’s other sisters Aleema Khanum and Dr Uzma Khanum were not allowed to proceed beyond the checkpoint.
Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi also met with her family today in a conference room in the jail. Her health and legal matters were discussed during the meeting, which lasted 40 minutes and included her children Musa and Mubashara Maneka and sister-in-law Mehrunnisa.
Speaking to the media at the checkpoint, Aleema said that the SC should also grant bail to Imran and Bushra Bibi.
She added that the SC’s ruling to send the PTI founder to hospital came after eight months of demands from the party.
“Politics does not trump health,” she told the media while confirming that Noreen would be allowed to meet him. “We are his sisters — we talk about his health.”
Aleema noted that “justice is being carried out”, adding that if it was not, there would be criticism. She said that there was “nothing hidden” about what the IHC and courts had previously done.
“If the founder has got relief, then Bushra Bibi’s charges are weak,” she added, saying that just as Imran had gotten relief, Bushra should have gotten it earlier.
However, she noted that the family would not be speaking to the media upon leaving the jail.
Regarding the status of a case registered against her, which pertains to an Oct 4, 2024 protest, Aleema said that a witness had yet to be cross-examined. “We had said it should be done tomorrow, but they said preparations needed to be made,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media before her entry into the jail, Noreen said that she would tell Imran about the SC’s order for him to be moved to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for a medical checkup.
“I will tell him what efforts PTI members have made for him,” she added.
Upon entering the jail, Noreen was expected to be taken to its conference room, where Imran would be brought from his private compound, jail sources said.
