The hearing was the sole opportunity for journalists to engage with Imran Khan. The federal government has imposed a ban on all meetings at Adiala Jail due to security concerns related to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. As a result, no hearings for Imran Khan or Bushra Begum, both currently incarcerated, can take place until the ban is lifted.
This ban, which affects all meetings inside the jail, was enacted on Tuesday and will remain in effect until October 18, when the summit concludes.
Since his incarceration, Imran Khan has not been brought out of jail for any court hearings. Instead, judges, lawyers, and witnesses have traveled to the jail to conduct proceedings. Notably, the convictions he received before the general election were also announced while he was in custody. However, a scheduled hearing in the Toshakhana case was postponed on Tuesday due to the ban, preventing any access to the jail.
Judge Shahrukh Arjumand heard the case at Islamabad’s judicial complex but adjourned it immediately.
Beyond the legal proceedings, hearings at Adiala Jail were the only instances where journalists could interact with Imran Khan since his imprisonment. With the new ban in place, those interactions, which often generated significant media coverage, are now prohibited.
