Govt shuts all jail meetings with Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that all prison meetings with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan have been completely stopped.

He said neither any meeting would be permitted nor any gathering outside Adiala Jail would be allowed.

Speaking on a private TV programme, the minister said that conspiracies against the state were being hatched from outside Adiala jail and interviews were being given to Indian channels. He said no one would be allowed to gather crowds outside the prison anymore.

He said that the PTI founder was a threat to the country and wanted to harm it, adding that he and his party wanted to push Pakistan towards default.

“Letters were written to the IMF to drive the country toward default,” he said.

Tarar said that the attacks carried out on military installations on May 9 were acts “even the enemy would not commit”, adding that Imran Khan was a threat to Pakistan’s integrity.

He said that the PTI founder was crafting such a narrative because he saw no political future for himself.

The minister said that the Adila jail superintendent had reported that political instructions were being issued during meetings, which was a violation of rules and the reason why all meetings had now been halted.

He warned that strict legal action would be taken if anyone attempted to create a law and order situation outside the prison, saying the writ of the state would be enforced at all costs.

He said that meetings with inmates are governed by rules and procedures, and currently “there are no meetings, the meetings are closed”.

He said that any attempt to disrupt order outside the jail would lead to cases and would be dealt with “with an iron hand”.

Tarar further said that the notification for the Chief of Defence Forces had been issued, and that those who tried to create a storm in a teacup should be ashamed.

In response to a question, he said the door for talks with PTI was now closed as the party had missed its chance.

He said that there would be no dialogue with any “anarchist, terrorist or extremist mindset”, and if anyone wanted to talk without the PTI founder, they could do so in Parliament.

The minister said that if PTI wanted a way forward, it would have to apologise and accept that its leader had issued irresponsible and damaging statements.

He said that the PTI founder had put his own party in difficulty, and several of its leaders themselves admit that he had led them in the wrong direction.

Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday launched a strong rebuke against incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, accusing him of promoting an “anti-army narrative” that had crossed into the domain of national security.

Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, Lt-Gen Chaudhry said that a “creeping national security threat” had emerged from what he described as the “delusional mindset of a delusional person”, asserting that Khan’s “ego, wishes and frustrations” had grown to a level where he believed “the world would cease to exist without him”.