ISLAMABAD, November 8, 2024 — The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail to arrange a meeting between PTI founder Imran Khan and his legal team after a contempt of court petition was filed over the failure to facilitate the meeting as per court orders.
The hearing, led by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, addressed the issue raised by Imran Khan’s lawyers, who argued that despite a scheduled meeting the previous day, they were not allowed to meet the PTI leader.
Faisal Farid Chaudhry, one of Khan’s lawyers, told the court that he was informed the meeting could not take place due to a blockade on Adiala Road.
In response, Islamabad’s Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat informed the court that the government had submitted a reply in the contempt case.
He explained that the government had followed the court’s directive to appoint three coordinators for the meetings, but no list of visitors had been provided to facilitate the process.
Justice Khan inquired why the meeting had not been arranged as planned and pressed the authorities on when the meeting would be rescheduled.
The superintendent of Adiala Jail, Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, clarified that security arrangements were necessary due to the high-profile nature of Imran Khan’s imprisonment, and that previous meetings had been scheduled with proper security protocols.
The court observed that a conflict had arisen between jail authorities and the PTI founder’s coordinators regarding who would be permitted to meet Imran Khan.
Justice Khan directed the jail superintendent to submit a list of approved visitors to the Islamabad Advocate General, in order to resolve the issue.
The court then ordered that a meeting be arranged between Imran Khan and his legal team as soon as possible.
The list of authorized visitors should also be sent to PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja to ensure no further delays.
This ruling follows ongoing concerns about Imran Khan’s access to legal counsel while in detention, and the court’s intervention aims to ensure that the legal team is able to meet with their client without further obstruction.
