Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to meet the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Gandapur appeared before Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s bench along with Advocate Latif Khosa and Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Faisal.
Advocate Latif Khosa told the court that the matter is urgent as the KP Assembly is in the middle of its budget session. He requested the court to urgently hear the petition seeking a meeting with the PTI founder. However, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said the judicial bench could not intervene in the matter.
Khosa then asked for the judge’s blessings and suggested that the matter could be forwarded to the Chief Justice. In response, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah advised that the petitioners had approached the wrong forum. He recommended contacting Chief Justice Yahya Afridi or the Supreme Court Registrar, as this would be the proper channel and save time.
Earlier, PTI leaders were denied permission to meet their founder in jail. Ali Amin Gandapur spoke from the assembly rostrum, highlighting that despite repeated requests, the PTI founder had not been allowed any meetings. He stressed that the PTI Budget Committee intends to meet the founder as part of their preparations.
Gandapur added that the PTI founder had also written a letter to the Supreme Court, which received positive remarks from Chief Justice Yahya Afridi. However, no action was taken on the letter, which included supporting evidence. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah again suggested that petitioners approach Chief Justice Afridi directly, who is currently in Lahore.
This petition and the ongoing issue highlight the growing tension between PTI leadership and the judicial system regarding access to their detained founder. The court’s referral to the Chief Justice signals the need for a higher-level decision on the matter.