File photo of Adviser to KP C.M. Muhammad Saif
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday called on the Punjab government to shift Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to a prison in KP if it was unable to ensure security for the former prime minister.
Last week, the Punjab government banned all kinds of visits, meetings and interviews at Adiala Jail over a security threat. This decision resulted in Khan being unable to meet any of his party leaders, prompting criticism over the PTI’s inability to consult him on the allocation of tickets for the upcoming Senate elections. Since the ban was imposed, various PTI leaders have claimed the move was aimed at preventing them from meeting Khan, though the Punjab government has denied this, maintaining normal operations would resume after a security audit.
In a statement, Adviser to the KP C.M. on Information Muhammad Saif lamented that all prisoners detained at Adiala Jail were facing difficulties due to the restrictions imposed over “security concerns.” Criticizing the Punjab government led by C.M. Maryam Nawaz, he said the KP government should be granted custody of all the prisoners detained at Adiala instead of causing “pain and suffering” to them due to “incompetence and fear of Khan.”
According to Saif, the ban on visits to Adiala Jail was “drama” to hide the “incompetence” of the C.M. Nawaz.
Responding to Saif’s statement, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari maintained that all inmates at Adiala Jail, including Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, were completely safe. “A person who robbed billions of rupees is getting the best security and food facilities in jail,” she said, in a reference to the PTI founder. “Barrister Saif should take care of the people in KP,” she added, while dismissing the criticism of Maryam Nawaz as baseless.