ISLAMABAD – The main opposition party in Pakistan has threatened a nationwide shutdown to “get rid of the government” if the authorities continue what it alleges is the mistreatment of its founder, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August last year.

Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, issued the “warning” on Monday to the federal government and the government in Punjab province, both led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party.

“Imran Khan is not given food. His cell’s electricity is suspended. He is not allowed to meet people. I am giving you a warning: If this continues, we are planning to close down Pakistan and get rid of this government,” he said in a video message posted on X.

Gandapur released the statement as Khan’s sisters Aleema and Uzma Khan met the incarcerated leader at Adiala Jail in Punjab’s Rawalpindi on Monday and Tuesday. They later told reporters they were worried their brother was being “mistreated” by the authorities.

On Wednesday, a message attributed to Khan was posted on his X account in which the 72-year-old politician said he was being subjected to “mental torture” in custody. “I was not allowed to go out. My doctors, family and lawyers were banned from visiting me for several weeks,” the message said.

PTI leader Sayed Zulfi Bukhari told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the party is planning to launch a big protest in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the coming days. “This will be the beginning of our countrywide mobilisation with the sole objective to ensure his [Khan’s] release,” he said. Bukhari said Khan is a “brave and a courageous leader” who has “never complained about his health”.

“However, his sisters have confirmed that Khan was not allowed to meet with people for two weeks, that there was no electricity in his cell, and he was not allowed to move out or do his exercises. The food that was given to him was inadequate,” he added. (Aljazeera) …[+]