PTI leader Awais Younas Chaudhry said Imran Khan’s cousin, Qasim Zaman, was taken into custody on Tuesday after arriving near Adiala Jail to meet the incarcerated former prime minister.
Chaudhry said Zaman regularly visited the prison to meet Imran Khan, following an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order allowing the PTI founder to meet his family, lawyers and associates twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
According to Chaudhry, Zaman reached Gorakhpur Naka near the prison at around 2:40pm on Tuesday and informed jail authorities that he had come to meet Imran. However, police detained him and shifted him to an undisclosed location.
Later, an order issued by Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir surfaced, directing Zaman’s detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance for 30 days.
The detention order cited reports and recommendations from police officials, who described Zaman as a political activist allegedly involved in planning or encouraging unlawful assemblies, violence and speeches that could result in damage to public and private property.
According to the order, police also alleged that Zaman was attempting to incite people to violence, obstruct public officials from performing their duties and engage in activities that could disturb public peace, safety and tranquillity.
The Rawalpindi City Police Officer recommended Zaman’s detention under Section 3(1) of the MPO Ordinance, 1960, stating that the measure was necessary to prevent him from acting in a manner considered prejudicial to public safety and to maintain public order.
The Rawalpindi District Intelligence Committee also endorsed the recommendation during a meeting on Tuesday and unanimously called for Zaman’s detention to prevent alleged unlawful activities.
Following the recommendations, the Rawalpindi DC ordered Zaman’s detention for 30 days. The order said he would remain in custody under the supervision of the superintendent of Central Jail, Rawalpindi.
The order also stated that Zaman could appeal the detention directive before the Punjab Home Department.
The detention comes amid heightened tensions surrounding PTI’s planned protest movement. Authorities had earlier detained Imran Khan’s three sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi — under the MPO ahead of the party’s planned march towards Islamabad.
The protest march was initially scheduled for September 27 but was later postponed to October 4. Under the current plan, protesters are expected to reach Khairabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 8, where KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is expected to announce the next course of action.
Several PTI leaders, lawmakers and workers have also reportedly been arrested or detained in connection with the party’s protest activities.
Imran’s sisters had traditionally been among those visiting Adiala Jail each week in an attempt to meet him. Following their detention, Zaman had been visiting the prison instead.
Imran Khan has remained incarcerated since 2023. The IHC has previously directed authorities to facilitate his meetings with family members, lawyers and associates twice a week.
Despite the court order, the PTI founder has faced restrictions on meeting visitors.
On August 18, the Supreme Court directed authorities to allow Imran to meet his family while also ordering a medical examination at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
Following the Supreme Court’s interim order, Noreen Niazi was allowed to meet Imran on two consecutive occasions. However, no further family meetings have taken place since her last meeting on August 25.
Chaudhry also said several lawyers, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Khalid Yousuf and Riaz Shah, reached Adiala Jail on Tuesday but were not permitted to meet Imran.
Calling the development a violation of the court’s directive, Chaudhry said the denial of meetings amounted to contempt of the IHC order.
The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) condemned Zaman’s detention, calling it an act of “blatant fascism” and a violation of fundamental constitutional and human rights.
TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmad Yousafzai demanded Zaman’s immediate and unconditional release, alleging that his detention reflected state coercion and political victimisation.
The spokesperson noted that Imran’s sisters had previously been detained and said the arrest of his “non-political cousin” outside the prison was another example of the use of state power against citizens.
The alliance argued that targeting individuals because of their relationship with Imran Khan amounted to a violation of constitutional and legal rights.
Yousafzai urged authorities to immediately halt what the alliance described as harassment and arrests of citizens through the use of state power, adding that the opposition group would continue to resist actions it believes undermine constitutional and human rights.
