‘Hitler-era repression’: Imran Khan’s sister slams jail treatment; family barred from meetings

Imran Khan’s sister, Noreen Niazi, has criticized Pakistani authorities over the treatment of the former prime minister in prison, warning that his family has been kept completely in the dark and that “no one knows what’s happening inside the jail.”Speaking to ANI about her last meeting with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, she said, “…He is going through a tough time alone. He is in isolation… As per the jail manual, one can’t be placed in isolation for more than 4 days. But he was put in isolation for three weeks last year as well, during which electricity was switched off, and he wasn’t even allowed to read books. The same has been done now.”Her remarks come amid a surge of rumours about Khan’s health, fuelled by the month-long blackout on family and legal meetings. “We don’t know anything. They are not telling us anything, nor are they letting anybody meet him,” she said, adding that even party members with a scheduled meeting had been blocked from entering. “We have not been allowed to meet him for the last four weeks… The Police have been ordered to stop us and, I believe, also given permission to do to us whatever they want. This has never happened in Pakistan before.”Niazi described the treatment of supporters and family members outside Adiala Jail as unprecedented. “No one has ever disrespected women like this, nor has anyone been oppressed this way. This is the first time in Pakistan that these people have been allowed to beat up people like there won’t be any consequences, without considering if it’s a child, an elderly person, or a woman in front of them. The world is aware of what’s happening in Pakistan.”She said Pakistan had entered its “darkest period”, comparing the situation to “Hitler-era-like repression”. According to her, people are being “killed, beaten, and jailed without accountability”. The continued ban on meetings, she argues, is deliberate. “We have been going there for the last four weeks, and they are not letting us meet him. This is why such rumours are spreading.”Public anger, she warned, is reaching a breaking point. “I believe there will be a spark among people soon, and then they will see the level to which the people go… The oppression is too much.”Her comments come as PTI leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, continue to be denied access to Khan, who has been held since August 2023. While Adiala Jail officials insist he is in “completely good health”, the lack of transparency has only intensified demands for a clear and verifiable update on his condition.