The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued directives for the constitution of a larger bench and merging various pleas pertaining to meeting rights of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan who’s incarcerated in Adiala jail.
The development came as IHC’s Acting Chief Justice Justice Sarfraz Dogar heard a petition filed by Adiala jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum who complained of multiple pending pleas concerning Khan’s visitation rights and conflicting judgements by the courts on the said issue. “In the interest of judicial consistency, it is imperative that all related cases listed […] be consolidated before a single or larger bench to ensure uniform adjudication and effective enforcement of judicial directives,” read the jail official’s petition while citing operational difficulties and uncertainty faced by the prison administration.
The former prime minister, facing a plethora of legal cases, has been behind bars in Adiala jail since September 2023.
However, his incarceration has not been without controversy as the former ruling party has time again complained of mistreatment by the authorities as well as alleged hindrances in arranging meetings between Khan, his lawyers and others.
Last week, the IHC had ordered Adiala officials to produce the ex-PM before the court in a personal capacity in relation to a plea filed by Mashal Yousafzai against alleged denial of permission to meet the PTI founder.
The court, initially, had sought Khan’s virtual appearance via video link by 2pm. However, upon expiry of the deadline, the politician was due to be presented in court in person as per the court orders.
However, the Islamabad advocate general (AG) informed the court that bringing the PTI founder from jail was not possible due to security concerns and that presenting him via video link was also not feasible.
The court directed the Adiala jail superintendent and Islamabad AG to submit their affidavits in this regard.
Meanwhile, in his plea filed in the IHC, Adiala jail Superintendent Anjum highlighted that Khan was being accommodated as per the relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs) agreed in March 2024, and was allowed to meet lawyers, family and friends on two designated days in the week.
The former PM, the plea adds, was also allowed to hold a WhatsApp call with his sons from time to time on humanitarian grounds and was also benefiting from all the privileges available to him under Pakistan Prison Rules 1978.
The SOPs were later amended in November 2024 wherein the petitioner, the superintendent, was required to get the names of the visitors from Khan himself – all of the conditions which were in fact complied with by the authorities.
Meanwhile, the applicant’s lawyer lamented that they had to appear before the court five days a week in related cases and instead would have to do so only once if the cases were amalgamated and fixed before the same bench.
The court then approved the plea directing consolidation of the cases concerned and the formation of a larger bench.
Separately, PTI founder Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, decided to file a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking the suspension of their penalty in the £190 million corruption case.