Imran Khan Alive but Under Mental Torture, Alleges Sister

News Desk: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is “alive but mentally tortured,” his sister Dr. Uzma Khanum stated on Tuesday after a rare 20-minute meeting with him inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Addressing reporters after the visit, Dr. Khanum said Imran appeared physically fine but emotionally agitated, claiming he is confined to his cell for most of the day, given only limited outdoor access, and isolated from meaningful communication.

She said Khan directly blamed Army Chief General Asim Munir — widely seen as Pakistan’s most influential power figure — for the conditions of his imprisonment. Khan has frequently accused Munir of engineering his political downfall and keeping him silenced.

Imran Khan is fit and in good health, his sister @Aleema_KhanPK told the media today after meeting him inside the military intelligence-controlled Adiala Jail. It has now been 570 days since he was last seen in public after being taken into custody.#FreeImranKhan pic.twitter.com/HLbFMQXudJ

— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) February 25, 2025

The tightly controlled jail meeting came after weeks of rumours surrounding Khan’s health and even unverified claims of his death. Family access had repeatedly been denied, angering supporters and prompting protests in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Demonstrators also gathered outside the Islamabad High Court, despite restrictions on public assembly.

Now 72, Khan has remained behind bars since August 2023 — a detention shadowed by rising regional tensions, domestic political fracturing, and persistent speculation over his fate.

Concerns escalated last month when Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Uzma Khan — said they were physically pushed back from the facility when attempting to meet him. His sons also raised alarms, suggesting authorities were concealing “something irreversible.” Kasim Khan told Reuters that despite court-approved weekly visits, no family contact was permitted — not even access for Khan’s personal doctor.

Before Tuesday’s encounter, family members and senior PTI leaders had gone nearly a month without seeing him. The silence allowed unfounded rumours — many amplified on Afghan social media — to go viral, falsely claiming Khan had died in custody.

Adding to the pressure, PTI Senator Khurram Zeeshan has alleged that Khan is being kept in near-total isolation to break his spirit or force him into exile. He also claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif government is deliberately withholding updated photos or footage of Khan, fearing his sustained public appeal and potential to mobilise mass sentiment.