The Punjab government enforced a two-week ban on all public visits, meetings, and interviews at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, citing “security” concerns, drawing criticism from PTI leaders who perceived it as a deliberate tactic to prevent them from meeting party founder Imran Khan, currently held at the facility.
According to a letter addressed to the Punjab prisons chief by the Punjab Home Department, obtained by Dawn.com, the decision was prompted by security alerts indicating potential threats from anti-state terrorist groups supported by external adversaries, planning targeted assaults on Adiala jail.
The department urged the prison chief to immediately suspend public visits, meetings, and interviews within Adiala Jail for two weeks as a precautionary measure against these identified threats.
This directive followed recent actions by the Rawalpindi Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and police, who claimed to have thwarted an alleged attempt to attack the jail, resulting in the arrest of three suspected terrorists.
Among those detained at Adiala jail are Imran Khan, along with senior PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Parvez Elahi.
PTI leaders, including Barrister Salman Safdar, voiced their frustration over being denied access to Imran Khan due to the ban, attributing it to security concerns.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the blanket restriction, emphasizing the lack of prior notification to Imran’s family members and lawyers. He underscored the urgency of the situation, citing previous assassination attempts on Imran Khan and expressing concerns for his safety.
National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan joined the chorus of condemnation, highlighting the restriction’s defiance of court orders and asserting the PTI’s demand for immediate reconsideration of the ban.
