Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was denied permission to enter Adiala Jail on Thursday to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, as police blocked the route leading to the prison and diverted traffic.

Afridi, accompanied by several PTI leaders and lawmakers, reached the Medicine Factory checkpoint on Adiala Road but was stopped from proceeding towards the jail. Police later removed the barriers and restored traffic on the road.

The chief minister was accompanied by Mena Khan, Shafi Jan, Ahad Shah, Abdul Salam Afridi and Shahid Khattak.

The visit came as the scheduled time for meetings with Imran at the jail expired. Afridi and the other PTI leaders were not allowed to meet him.

At the checkpoint, Afridi questioned the SHO Saddar Beroni about the situation and asked what message had been conveyed to the authorities.

He also questioned a man in civilian clothes about his rank and identity. When the man said he was a journalist, Afridi declined to respond to a question about whether a meeting was likely to take place, saying he would wait until the scheduled meeting time ended.

Read More: ‘Alarming reports’ on Imran’s health causing nationwide anxiety and restlessness: PTI

Afridi told the media that if he was not allowed to meet Imran, PTI workers would take to the streets across the country at 10pm.

“Tonight at 10pm, every chowk across Pakistan will become D-Chowk,” he said, calling on workers to gather at intersections carrying the national and PTI flags.

Afridi said workers should remain focused on the party’s planned march on September 27, claiming that the call had become a “nightmare” for the authorities.

“We have said that we will bring two million people to Islamabad on September 27. We will bring even more,” he said.

He said the authorities should facilitate a meeting with Imran before September 28 if they wanted to improve the situation.

Afridi also criticised the treatment of Imran and PTI since 2022, saying the country was being pushed towards destruction because of “stubbornness and ego”.

“The system has been destroyed, and those who brought this system are responsible for taking it towards destruction,” he said.

Also Read: TTAP demands access to Imran Khan amid reports of PIMS hospital visit

He also criticised other political parties, saying they were not sincere with the country, and cited a government minister’s remarks that the system had collapsed.

Police had earlier sealed Adiala Road from Gorakhpur towards the jail and diverted traffic on both sides to alternative routes. After Afridi left the checkpoint, the barriers were removed and traffic was restored.

Afridi and his delegation subsequently left the Medicine Factory checkpoint without being allowed to meet Imran.

On Tuesday, PTI said that continuously emerging “alarming reports” about the health of party founder were causing nationwide anxiety and restlessness, as it urged the government to allow access to him.

The party’s statement came in the wake of a report by journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan about Imran’s alleged death in custody, according to sources. The report ignited intense criticism by the party’s followers and supporters amid ongoing concerns about Imran’s health and lack of access to him. 

In late January, Imran was first taken to the hospital for a minor eye procedure. Five days later, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that doctors at PIMS had examined his eyes and, after obtaining his written consent, carried out a minor medical procedure that lasted around 20 minutes.

Amid controversy surrounding the eye treatment, PIMS confirmed that Imran was administered an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection to treat right central retinal vein occlusion.

In March, another medical check-up was conducted at Adiala, after which PIMS stated that Imran had shown significant improvement in his vision following his second dose of an intravitreal anti-VEGF injection. The third dose was subsequently administered on March 23.

Imran and Bushra Bibi remain incarcerated in Adiala Jail since 2023. They were sentenced on December 20, 2025, to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, which pertains to allegations that the couple unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit to Saudi Arabia.

Imran’s sons, Kasim and Suleiman, have not been permitted to speak with their father by phone, and they allege that their visa applications have been intentionally delayed. The two reside in the United Kingdom with Imran’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith.

In February, it was revealed in a report prepared by Barrister Salman Safdar on the Supreme Court’s direction that Imran had informed officials that his right eye was functioning at only 15% capacity. Safdar submitted the report to a two-member bench.

Imran’s sisters, alongside party leadership, regularly hold sit-ins outside Adiala Jail on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are the court-designated days for meetings with Imran, although these visits have been largely suspended in recent months.