ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday allowed four PTI lawyers to meet party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir was hearing a petition challenging the two-week ban on meeting Adialy inmates including Imran, where the jail warden informed the court of receiving several requests to meet the former prime minister.
He added that they had an order to allow six people besides lawyers to meet Imran and said it was impossible for them to allow six people a day in a jail with seven thousand inmates.
Expressing his displeasure, Justice Tahir said the jail warden was giving fresh excuses at every hearing. “If you are not obeying court orders, why shouldn’t we open contempt proceedings against you?”
In response, a jail official informed the judge that he was “obeying court orders” and showed a notification from the Punjab Home Department.
“We have allowed (PTI advisers) to meet on your terms and we already have contempt pleas against you,” the judge replied.
When the hearing resumed after a short break, PTI counsel Sher Afzal Marwat informed the court that they had devised a mechanism along with the jail superintendent. The judge, while keeping the petition adjourned, directed Marwat to appoint a focal person and draw up an SOP to meet the PTI founder.
Marwat told the judge that a group of four people were to meet Imran today and next Tuesday.
A prison officer informed the judge that they had instructions from the provincial home department not to allow meetings with any inmates, to which the judge remarked “they (the Home Office) cannot direct you, it is at your discretion”.
The court then directed four PTI lawyers to meet Imran in jail today.
The Punjab Home Ministry on Tuesday imposed a two-week ban on inmate visits as well as media coverage at Adiala jail, which houses senior political figures including Imran.
In orders issued to the Punjab police chief, the department claimed that the decision was taken based on a “threat alert” issued to the jail by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The internal security wing of the ministry said the terrorists – backed by anti-state groups – wanted to target the prison to spread chaos in the country. Therefore, it added that it is imperative that the ministry takes necessary measures to prevent such incidents.
The PTI has condemned the two-week ban imposed on all visits, meetings and talks in the Adiala Jail premises and expressed concern over the threat to the former prime minister’s life.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan criticized the imposition of a blanket curfew for two weeks on the “excuse” that there was a terror threat.
He called the ban on meeting the party’s founding chairman illegal. He lamented the sudden imposition of a ban that prevented any individual, including family members, from meeting Imran.
“We demand that his [Imran’s] family members and lawyers be informed before imposing this measure,” Gohar added.
He urged the authorities to provide an update on the PTI founder chairman’s health and safety to both the party leadership and his family, while calling for a transparent investigation into the reasons behind the ban.
Denied a meeting with Imran due to the ban, PTI leaders hit out at the Punjab government.
