'They won’t find a flight out of Pakistan': Imran Khan’s sister warns of street protests over denial of jail access

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supporters carry a poster of their leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, during a protest against the 27th constitutional amendment, in Karachi on November 21, 2025. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP)

Anger on the streets of Pakistan may soon erupt over the continued incarceration of former prime minister Imran Khan, his sister Aleema Khanum warned in an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18. Her comments come as speculation swirls over Khan’s health and well-being inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he has been denied repeated requests for family access.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Aleema said the family has already consulted legal experts and is preparing to file a petition seeking Imran Khan’s production in court. She warned that frustration among his supporters is steadily mounting and could soon spill into large-scale protests.

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“It’s going to happen. It’s not a matter of if but when. And it’s all leading toward the same thing," Aleema Khanum said when asked about the possibility of street demonstrations if access to her brother continues to be blocked.

She further cautioned that once public anger boils over, the situation may spiral beyond control for Pakistan’s powerful establishment, which she said continues to operate under the dominance of army chief Asim Munir.

“And when the agitations begin, they won’t be able to stop them," she added.

Outside Adiala Jail, supporters and workers of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been staging protests and maintaining a constant vigil, fuelled by rumours circulating online about his alleged death. While prison authorities have officially denied these claims, Khan’s family insists that their inability to meet him has only intensified anxieties.

“Why aren’t they letting us meet him? Why create this attention? It would be so simple if they allowed him to meet his family and party workers," Aleema told CNN-News18.

Despite her deep concern, Aleema said she did not believe that the authorities would risk physically harming her brother, arguing that such an act would provoke a massive backlash.

“They wouldn’t. People would turn on them. People will not spare them and they won’t find a flight out of the country," she said.

She reiterated that Imran Khan continues to command widespread public sympathy and political support, even as he remains behind bars facing multiple legal cases after being removed from power in April 2022.

“The sentiment is with him. People in Pakistan are agitated," Aleema Khanum said.