IHC restores visiting days for Imran, bars media talk after meetings

ISLAMABAD: In a sigh of relief for the ousted prime minister, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restored visiting days for incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, allowing people to meet him every Tuesday and Thursday. Only those individuals whose names are provided by the PTI founder’s coordinator Salman Akram Raja will be permitted to meet him.

The latest development in the legal saga pertaining to the former prime minister’s visitation rights as IHC Acting Chief Justice Justice Sarfraz Dogar heard the combined pleas on the said issue.

The three-member bench, which also includes Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, was formed by Justice Dogar last week who also merged various petitions about Khan’s meeting rights in response to a plea filed by jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum.

Before today, the Adiala jail Superintendent Anjum, using his discretionary powers, had limited the former premier’s meetings to Tuesdays. The issue of access to the incarcerated PTI founder has been a point of contention in recent times with various people moving the court to seek its permission to meet him.

The IHC, in this regard, had previously sought Khan’s virtual appearance via video link and later ordered authorities to produce him before the court during a hearing of a plea filed by PTI’s Mashal Yousafzai.

However, the cricketer-turned-politician was not produced before the court with the Islamabad advocate general (AG) citing security concerns as its reason. The issue further escalated after IHC’s Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan initiated suo motu contempt proceedings after the case was delisted and transferred to another bench.

During the hearing today, the jail superintendent’s lawyer Naveed Malik informed the court that prison meetings had been conducted under the same standard operating procedures (SOPs) until December 2024 but Khan’s status as a prisoner changed in January 2025 and this was accompanied by security threats as well. As per the jail manual, meetings with the PTI founder were being arranged on Tuesdays, he added.

The lawyer further said that after January, the ex-prime minister’s status changed from an under-trial prisoner to a convicted prisoner. IHC’s acting CJ Justice Dogar remarked that everyone submits requests for holding meetings inside the jail.

At this, the jail superintendent’s lawyer said that these meetings were being used for political purposes. The judge then questioned the need for media talks after prison meetings, saying that the visitors should leave after their meeting.

“We should obtain an undertaking from visitors to ensure they do not hold media talks after the meetings,” the judge remarked. Meanwhile, Justice Tahir said that the SOPs for meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays had been decided in the appeal. The jail superintendent’s lawyer said that both meetings were scheduled on Tuesdays instead of holding meetings on two separate days due to security threats.

Advocate Malik said that, according to jail rules, the superintendent of Adiala prison holds the authority. He added that in such circumstances, it is the superintendent’s responsibility to decide on the meetings as per the rules.

During the hearing, PTI leader Raja requested the court to restore the schedule of two weekly meetings. However, the jail superintendent’s advocate argued that managing meetings on two separate days was difficult, so all meetings were being arranged on a single day.

IHC’s acting CJ noted that more than 100 petitions regarding prison meetings had been filed, and nearly 98 had been resolved. He further said that they want the matter to be settled once and for all by a larger bench.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has ruled out the possibility of an apology by party founder Imran Khan for the May 9, 2023 incidents, calling it “impossible”.

“He (Imran) will not apologise, if someone thinks that he will apologise, then there is no possibility of it,” he said while talking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court here. Salman Akram further said the matter of jail meetings with incarcerated PTI founder has been decided with “mutual consent”, adding that the meetings have been restored, and for that purpose he will decide visitors’ names together with party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. He, however, said those who meet Imran Khan will not hold media talk outside the prison. “We were told that the talks could create a law and order situation, to which we said okay; however, these people will be in the provincial, National Assembly or the Senate, so wherever they have to present their point of view, they will do so and no one can stop them from doing so the floor of the respective houses,” he said.

When asked about the government ministers’ demand for an apology by the former prime minister and PTI founder on May 9, 2023 incidents, Salman Akram said it is impossible; there is no question about it.

He contended that Imran Khan will not apologise, but if someone thinks that he will apologise to anyone, then this idea should be ruled out. On the consultation with political parties, he maintained that they are having very good discussions with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and other parties. “We will take the decision with consultation. We are inviting those friends who stand for democracy and the Constitution.”

“There is lawlessness in the country, kidnappings are going on and some people are benefiting from it. MQM, PPP and PML-N will have to review their attitude and behaviour,” he said.