PAKISTAN: The unlawful detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters yesterday, who were protesting outside Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, is yet another example of the repression of the right to protest in the country. Among those detained were former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khanum, who had gathered outside the Adiala jail premises as part of court-mandated weekly family visits which have been denied since 2 December 2025. Instead of facilitating lawful visitation, authorities responded with arbitrary detention, tear gas and baton charge. Imran Khan’s sisters and other women protesters were forcibly confined for hours in a closed shop near the jail, while dozens of others were detained in the open air for nearly five hours in torrential rain. This incident is part of a pattern of targeting PTI supporters and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s family by criminalizing peaceful protest and using sweeping and arbitrary bans through section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as a blanket tool to silence dissent. Amnesty International urges the Pakistani authorities to immediately end their crackdown on peaceful protests, respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and ensure unhindered access to court‑mandated family visits for Imran Khan.