ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Wednesday accused police of using a water cannon in freezing temperatures to disperse supporters and the three sisters of former prime minister Imran Khan who were holding an overnight sit-in outside the Adiala high-security prison to demand a meeting with him.

Khan, a former cricket star who became prime minister in 2018, has been in jail since 2023 on multiple charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. He denies wrongdoing, saying the cases are politically motivated to keep him out of politics. 

Last week, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced a complete ban on all meetings with Khan at Adiala Jail, calling him an “extremist consumed by war hysteria.” Even before the ban, the PTI had repeatedly claimed Khan was being denied regular meetings with lawyers and family despite court rulings allowing visitation. 

Videos circulating widely on social media on Tuesday late night and Wednesday morning showed a small crowd, including Khan’s sisters Aleema and Uzma, running as jets of water were fired from a police vehicle outside the prison complex in the city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. Police have yet to issue an official response and declined immediate comment when contacted by Arab News.

“Pakistani authorities used water cannons to disperse Imran Khan’s sisters and peaceful PTI workers outside Adiala Jail, despite a court order allowing a meeting with the jailed former PM,” PTI wrote on X, calling the action a violation of “basic human rights and freedom of assembly in freezing weather!”

Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad, who is not a PTI member but says he went to support the protest, told Arab News he witnessed the water cannon deployed three times against roughly 100–150 demonstrators.

“The water cannon was directed at three sisters of Imran Khan who were there to demand their meeting with their incarcerated brother order of Islamabad high court. One sister fell down on slippery ground after that,” Ahmad said.

He added that he had been stopped repeatedly at checkpoints on the way to the prison and had to take alternative routes to reach the sit-in.

Khan has remained a dominant political figure even from behind bars, drawing large crowds and online support. His party insists he is being punished for challenging Pakistan’s military establishment, an accusation the army denies. Last week, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Khan’s narrative had become a “national security threat,” warning the party against dragging the armed forces into political disputes.

PTI has held repeated demonstrations demanding Khan’s release since his arrest in 2023, several of which have ended in confrontation with police and casualties on both sides. 

Last week, Information Minister Tarar, as he announced a ban on meetings with Khan in prison, said the government would take “swift and firm” action against anyone attempting to create unrest outside the prison:

“It is now time to restore the writ of the state. There will be no jail meetings, nor will gatherings be allowed.”