Several leaders and workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a sit-in protest in Rawalpindi on 20 May after Islamabad Police once again blocked a delegation from reaching Adiala Jail to meet former Pakistani Prime Minister and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, according to local media reports. The protest, which stretched into early Wednesday, marks the latest in a series of confrontations over access to the jailed leader.

How the standoff unfolded

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, accompanied by Imran Khan's sisters and a group of PTI workers and leaders, was stopped by police at Chungi No. 26 in Islamabad before the delegation could proceed towards Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The blockade triggered heated exchanges between PTI members and law enforcement, eventually prompting the sit-in that continued until early Wednesday morning.

According to reports citing Pakistani daily Dawn, a video shared by PTI's Punjab chapter showed CM Afridi attempting to move through a crowd while police officers wielded batons in the background. Shafi Jan, special assistant to the KP Chief Minister on information and public relations, posted on X that 'Chungi No. 26 has been reopened after the worst violence, bullets and baton charge.'

What PTI and KP CM Afridi said

Addressing the media, CM Afridi said he had travelled to Islamabad peacefully to express solidarity with Imran Khan's sisters and emphasised that party workers had shown 'restraint, discipline and responsibility' despite repeated hurdles. He described the police blockade as inconsistent with democratic norms and indicative of a discriminatory approach towards a federating unit.

'It is deeply troubling that the elected chief executive of a province, accompanied by his cabinet, has been prevented from proceeding,' Afridi was quoted as saying by Pakistani daily Express Tribune. In a video shared by PTI on X, he said the world was witnessing what he called the state's brutality towards provincial lawmakers and a sitting chief executive.

PTI separately posted on X that 'peaceful workers were being fired upon with rubber bullets' and demanded that Imran Khan be immediately transferred to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for treatment under the supervision of his personal doctors and family members.

Human Rights Council condemns police action

The Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan strongly condemned the use of rubber bullets by Islamabad Police against what it described as peaceful protesters at Chungi No. 26. The rights body stated that peaceful protest is a 'fundamental constitutional and democratic right' and called the use of force, creation of fear, and restrictions on civil liberties 'extremely alarming.'

It urged state institutions to resolve disputes with patience and tolerance within the framework of the law, rather than resorting to force.

Pattern of restricted access

This is not an isolated incident. Over the past several months, PTI has held sit-ins outside Adiala Jail every Tuesday and Thursday — the court-authorised days for visiting Khan — as restrictions on his meetings with family members and party leaders have persisted. The repeated denial of access has become a flashpoint between PTI and the federal authorities, drawing criticism from rights groups and opposition voices alike.

With Imran Khan's health and access to legal and family support remaining contested issues, the confrontations at Adiala Jail's approaches are unlikely to ease in the near term.