In a significant development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restored visiting days for imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, allowing him to receive visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This decision comes as a relief for the former prime minister, who has been at the center of a legal battle regarding his visitation rights.
The ruling followed a combined hearing of several pleas related to Khan’s meetings at Adiala Jail, where the three-member bench of the IHC, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, along with Justices Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Muhammad Azam Khan, deliberated on the matter. The court formed this bench last week to address the issue after a plea was filed by the jail superintendent, Anjum, regarding restrictions on Khan’s meetings.
Prior to this, the jail superintendent had used his discretionary powers to limit the former prime minister’s meetings to just Tuesdays, restricting access to Khan. The latest decision restores a broader visitation schedule, granting people the opportunity to meet him every Tuesday and Thursday, but it comes with the condition that meetings must be arranged through Khan’s designated coordinator, who will provide a list of approved visitors.
The issue of Imran Khan’s access to visitors has been contentious in recent weeks, with various individuals filing petitions in court to secure permission to meet him. The IHC had previously ordered Khan to appear virtually through a video link, a decision made following a plea filed by PTI’s Mashal Yousafzai. However, Khan was not produced before the court due to security concerns cited by the Islamabad Advocate General.
The case took another dramatic turn when IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan initiated suo motu contempt proceedings after the case was delisted and transferred to a different bench. This controversy surrounding Khan’s meetings and legal rights continues to unfold, highlighting the tense legal environment surrounding his incarceration.
Along with restoring the visiting rights, the court has also placed a restriction on media coverage of the meetings. No discussions or interactions related to these meetings are to be shared with the media, marking a significant step in regulating the publicity surrounding the former prime minister’s legal and personal matters.
