WEBDESK: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restored Imran Khan’s right to meet visitors twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) while in jail, in a ruling on Monday. This decision overturns an earlier restriction that had reduced his meetings to once a week.
The ruling was made by a three-member bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar, in response to multiple petitions regarding Imran Khan’s jail conditions.
Previously, jail authorities had limited meetings to one day per week, citing security concerns. Officials claimed that visitors were making political statements after meeting Imran Khan. However, the court ruled that the original schedule must be maintained while ensuring that visitors do not use the meetings for political purposes.
To address the authorities’ concerns, the court obtained assurances from Imran Khan’s legal team that visitors would not make public statements after meetings. Additionally, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja has been appointed as the coordinator.
His responsibility will be to provide jail authorities with a list of approved visitors, ensuring a smooth visitation process.
Meanwhile on a plea seeking Imran Khan’s meeting with his children, the court directed PTI to approach the trial court in this regard.
PTI leaders Junaid Akbar, Sher Ali Arbab, Rauf Hassan, and Amjad Ali and others through their lawyer filed similar petitions.
According to the petitions, the PTI leaders were denied permission to meet the party founder the previous day. The petitioners have requested the court to grant them permission to meet the party founder, citing the importance of this meeting for the party’s affairs.
Additionally, the IHC has imposed a strict ban on media interactions following these jail meetings. This measure aims to prevent the misuse of visitation privileges for political statements. The court emphasized that meeting arrangements should not be utilized for political purposes and questioned the necessity of visitors addressing the media after their meetings.
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