Imran Khan Rumour Storm Ends as Sister Meets Him in Jail — Confirms He Is Alive, Alleges ‘Mental Torture’

Islmabad: After nearly a week of escalating panic, street protests, and an online rumour tsunami about Imran Khan’s alleged assassination in Adiala Jail, the political chaos in Pakistan eased slightly on Friday when his sister Uzma Khan was finally granted access to meet him. Her brief but crucial visit ended a swirl of misinformation, confirming that the former prime minister is alive and physically stable.

“He is doing well, fit, and alive,” Uzma told reporters after emerging from the Rawalpindi prison complex. But her reassurance came with a serious allegation. “He is extremely angry. He told me they are mentally torturing him and deliberately isolating him by blocking all communication,” she said. Her statement immediately reignited concerns about the treatment of the jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief.

The reassurance came only after thousands of Khan’s supporters staged demonstrations across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, demanding clarity from the Shehbaz Sharif government. Large gatherings of PTI lawmakers assembled outside the Islamabad High Court, while Khan’s family members and party workers continued protests outside Adiala Jail, forcing the authorities to deploy additional security personnel and impose crowd restrictions.

For nearly 48 hours, Pakistani social media remained engulfed in unverified claims suggesting Khan had been killed inside the prison. Speculation intensified further when a statement attributed to the Baluchistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the ISI and Army Chief General Asim Munir of orchestrating a covert plot to eliminate the 73-year-old leader. Although the claim was not officially verified, it spread rapidly, contributing to a climate of fear and outrage.

Meanwhile, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan escalated the matter legally by filing a contempt petition against the Adiala Jail superintendent and other officials. She accused them of defying the Islamabad High Court’s March 24 order that restored twice-a-week visitation rights for Khan. The petition, submitted in the presence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and senior PTI members, argued that jail authorities had “wilfully blocked meetings” despite repeated requests.

Aleema and Afridi had led a dramatic sixteen-hour sit-in outside the jail on Thursday, continuing late into the night, after yet another refusal to meet the former prime minister. The sit-in ended only when the petition was formally submitted.