'Seized By Hair, Dragged': Imran Khan's Sisters Allege Brutal Police Assault, Demand Probe

Last Updated:November 26, 2025, 21:08 IST

According to the sisters, they were peacefully sitting outside the jail when police personnel “pounced” on them.

Uzma Khanum, center, and Aleema Khan, left, sisters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan. (AP file photo)

Imran Khan’s three sisters have demanded an impartial investigation into what they describe as a “brutal" and unprovoked police assault on them and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters outside Adiala Jail last week.

The former prime minister, jailed since August 2023 in multiple cases, has not been allowed to meet his family for over a month. His sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma Khan — had been camping outside the prison alongside PTI workers after repeated requests for a meeting were denied.

According to the sisters, they were peacefully sitting outside the jail when police personnel “pounced" on them. PTI described the incident as punishment for “the crime of seeking a meeting with Imran Khan".

In a formal letter to Punjab police chief Usman Anwar, the sisters alleged that the assault was “brutal and orchestrated" and carried out without any provocation. Noreen Niazi said the group had not blocked roads or caused any disturbance, and had only gathered to express concern for their brother’s health.

“We peacefully protested over concerns for his health condition. We neither blocked roads nor obstructed public movement, nor engaged in any unlawful conduct," Niazi said, adding, “Yet, without warning or provocation, the streetlights in the area were abruptly switched off, deliberately casting the scene into darkness. What followed was a brutal and orchestrated assault by Punjab police personnel."

Describing her own experience, the 71-year-old said she was “seized by my hair, thrown violently to the ground, and dragged across the road", leaving her with visible injuries. She noted that other women present were slapped, pushed and dragged by officers.

Niazi said the episode reflected a “broader pattern" of excessive force used against peaceful PTI supporters over the past three years. “The Police’s conduct was not wholly criminal, illegal, morally reprehensible, and in direct contradiction to the foundational duties of any law enforcement agency in a democratic society," she said.

The sisters have demanded that the Punjab Inspector General immediately initiate proceedings against all officers involved.

The restrictions at Adiala Jail have extended even to senior officials. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who attempted to meet Khan on seven consecutive occasions, was also denied access by jail authorities. PTI has claimed that the prison is being run under the influence of an army officer.

(With inputs from PTI)

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