Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was not allowed to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan despite a court order.
The Islamabad High Court directed the Adiala jail superintendent to implement a March 24 order that reinstated the twice-a-week meeting schedule for the former prime minister Imran Khan.
However, the jail authorities did not allow a meeting with the incarcerated prime minister, forcing the chief minister to leave Rawalpindi.
The directive came as a larger bench, led by Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and including Justices Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Muhammad Azam Khan, collectively took up all 11 petitions filed by PTI leaders regarding Imran’s jail visitation. The ex-premier’s family and party have repeatedly accused prison authorities of “sabotaging” meetings with him.
During the hearing, the IHC directed Adiala jail’s Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, who was present during the hearing, to allow Imran’s jail meetings, as per the earlier order, while abiding by standard operating procedures (SOPs).
It directed the jail official to facilitate the meetings as per the list provided by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who also presented arguments before the bench.
Raja and Anjum also traded barbs during the hearing as the PTI leader claimed that “not even once” was the earlier IHC order implemented despite them giving a list of names, while the jail official asserted that “regular meetings” were held, but no list was received.
