ISLAMABAD: Pakistani prison authorities on Wednesday publicly denied that former Prime Minister Imran Khan had been secretly moved from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail or was suffering from health complications, issuing a clarification after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed the ex-premier had been held in isolation for six weeks and denied all family visits.
Khan, jailed since August 2023 following multiple convictions and ongoing trials, is serving sentences in corruption, state secrets, and marriage-related cases, all of which he contests as politically motivated. PTI has repeatedly accused the government and security establishment of persecuting its leader, allegations the authorities reject.
Responding to speculation circulating on social media, Adiala Jail officials said Khan had not been moved and remained in good health:
“The founder of PTI is present in Adiala Jail and is completely healthy. There is no truth to the rumors regarding his health. His health is fully taken care of.”
The denial followed a sharp statement from PTI spokesman Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, who said that if reports of Khan being moved were accurate, the family “must be granted immediate and unhindered access.”
“Under established legal and humanitarian norms, the family of any detainee has the right to know the detainee’s whereabouts and to meet them without delay,” Bukhari said, adding that “any ambiguity surrounding his location and the continuous denial of visitation is worsening the transparency, due process, and fundamental rights, if there are any left in Pakistan.”
Bukhari claimed that Khan had not been permitted a family meeting for six weeks despite court orders. He said a petition submitted to the newly formed Federal Constitutional Court seeking visitation had been rejected, and added that the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had attempted seven times to meet Khan “but no luck.” He said Khan’s sisters again protested outside Adiala Jail on Wednesday.
“Family visitation is a legal right, not a favor,” Bukhari said. “Imran Khan’s sisters sitting outside Adiala isn’t a protest; it’s a reminder of how far we’ve drifted from basic law. Denying a brother the right to see his family is not justice, as family visitation is an established statutory right under Pakistan Prison Rules and cannot be suspended without lawful justification.”
Khan’s imprisonment has remained one of Pakistan’s most contentious political issues since 2023, triggering nationwide protests, mass detentions of PTI workers, and a series of courtroom battles. PTI maintains that Khan is being held in unlawful isolation while the government insists all actions are lawful and overseen by courts.
International human rights organizations have previously expressed concern about due-process guarantees, political space for PTI, and the treatment of detainees in cases related to Khan.
