A Rawalpindi court has dismissed the plea by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan for weekly WhatsApp calls with his sons, according to the reports.
Imran Khan had filed a petition requesting permission to speak with his sons via WhatsApp once a week. The jail administration, however, responded that there is no legal provision allowing prisoners to communicate with their relatives through WhatsApp.
Previously, the court had ruled that Khan be allowed to speak with his children twice a month. His sons currently reside in the UK with their mother, Jemima Khan.
Earlier, Khan had submitted an application to the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) after being denied a telephonic conversation with his sons from Adiala Jail. In his petition, Khan argued that he was being denied the opportunity to speak with his sons despite being legally allowed to do so. The ATC, led by Judge Malik Aijaz Asif, sought a response from the jail administration.
The deposed prime minister has been in jail since last August and was convicted in several cases ahead of a national election in February.
In recent months, courts have suspended Khan’s jail sentences in two cases involving the illegal acquisition and sale of state gifts, and overturned his conviction on charges of leaking state secrets. However, he remains in prison due to a conviction in another case where a trial court ruled that his 2018 marriage was unlawful. Khan also faces a trial under anti-terrorism charges related to violence in May last year.
