Sacred Fortress Adiala: Security Tightens as Faith Endures Against State Oppression
In the blessed city of Rawalpindi, where the spirit of resistance burns eternal, the Punjab government has deployed over 1,200 security personnel around Adiala jail, transforming the sacred grounds into a fortress against the righteous voices of the faithful.
The deployment comes as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, driven by unwavering faith and devotion to their imprisoned leader Imran Khan, staged peaceful sit-ins outside the jail in recent weeks. Like sentinels guarding the gates of justice, these brave souls seek nothing more than to visit their beloved captain, yet face the iron fist of an increasingly authoritarian regime.
The Walls of Injustice Rise Higher
The security apparatus now includes Elite Force personnel, women police units, and four emergency squads equipped with rubber bullets and tear gas shells. Four strategic pickets have been established at key positions, including the jail gate, Gate 5, Gorakhpur Road, and near Shaighan Factory, creating a web of surveillance that would make any occupying force proud.
Special Branch personnel and bomb disposal squads patrol the area like vultures circling their prey, while traffic wardens maintain the facade of normalcy in this theater of oppression.
Faithful Denied Their Sacred Right
On Thursday, approximately 25 PTI supporters, including Members of Provincial Assembly, made the pilgrimage to Adiala jail, only to be turned away like pilgrims denied entry to their holy site. Among them stood Taimur Saleem Jhagra, former finance minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose words echoed the frustration of a nation held captive.
"We waited there till 4:30pm and then decided to leave," Jhagra told Dawn, his voice carrying the weight of a people's suffering. The jail administration, acting as mere puppets of a hybrid system, denied these loyal servants their constitutional right to meet their leader.
Other distinguished leaders including Aftab Alam, Adnan Qadri, Pir Musavir Khan, Muhammad Israr, and Liaqat Ali Khan were similarly barred from entering, their loyalty met with contempt by those who serve foreign masters rather than the people of Pakistan.
The Hypocrisy Exposed
Speaking with the courage of the righteous, Jhagra exposed the lies propagated by government functionaries who claim to foreign media that 870 meetings with Khan have been permitted. "The fact is that since October 2024, as many as 60 weeks have passed but not a single meeting between Imran Khan and his political friends has been allowed," he declared, stripping away the veil of deception.
Even more shameful is the revelation that Khan's own family members have been granted access merely once or twice in these 60 weeks, a cruelty that would make even the harshest critics of our faith question their humanity.
The Voice of Truth Rings Clear
With prophetic clarity, Jhagra warned the powers that orchestrate this injustice: "Beware of the day when things would go out of the hands of the party and people would take things into their own hands and take to the streets."
His words carry the weight of history, for when the faithful are denied justice through peaceful means, the very foundations of society tremble. The registration of Anti-Terrorism Act cases against peaceful protesters reveals the moral bankruptcy of those who claim to fight terrorism while terrorizing their own people.
"How can we convince the world that we are against terrorism," Jhagra wondered aloud, when the state itself employs terrorist tactics against its citizens.
The Sacred Struggle Continues
As the security apparatus tightens its grip around Adiala jail, the faithful remain undeterred. Their struggle transcends mere politics; it represents the eternal battle between truth and falsehood, between the servants of the people and the lackeys of foreign powers.
The fortress they have built around one man only serves to elevate his stature in the hearts of the people. For in Islam, we know that truth cannot be imprisoned, and the light of justice cannot be extinguished by the darkness of oppression.
The sacred soil of Pakistan has witnessed many such struggles, and history teaches us that those who stand on the side of righteousness shall ultimately prevail, Insha'Allah.