Imran Khan's sister meets him in Jail

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (Dawn): The authorities at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail have allowed Uzma Khanum, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, to meet the incarcerated former prime minister.

Uzma entered the prison on Tuesday while a large number of PTI supporters gathered outside the facility, says the daily.

The visit took place on a day when the party staged separate demonstrations outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail to protest restrictions on Imran's visitation rights, it added.

The Pakistani English-language daily cited PTI leaders as saying the former premier's family members and senior party figures had been denied access to him for several weeks.

According to the newspaper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said no one had been permitted to meet Imran or his wife Bushra Bibi since Oct 27.

It noted that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had been imposed in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of the demonstrations, restricting gatherings of more than four people for a limited period.

Earlier in the day, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad that authorities would fully enforce Section 144 in the twin cities.

"Whether they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail, action under Section 144 would be carried out without any discrimination," the Dawn quoted him.

He particularly urged PTI-backed parliamentarians to "abide by the law".

The minister reportedly linked the matter to terrorism, saying: "Terrorists look for instances [which they can use] to spread fear and make headlines; be it [a] political gathering, courts or important places or offices."