- Party says denial of CM Afridi’s meeting violates IHC’s clear directives, questioning judiciary’s ability to enforce its own rulings
- Imran Khan’s voice ‘can’t be imprisoned and move appeared to be part of ‘broader plan’ to isolate PTI founder
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday strongly condemned what it termed the “continued defiance of judicial orders” by the Adiala Jail administration, accusing it of repeatedly denying court-approved meetings between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi and party leadership.
The party said such actions had raised “serious questions” about the judiciary’s ability to enforce its own verdicts.
In a sharply worded statement, the party also voiced grave concern over the reinstatement of Rule 265, describing it as a “draconian relic of dictatorship” intended to curb the rights and voices of political prisoners.
PTI reaffirmed that former prime minister and party founder Imran Khan’s voice cannot be silenced, declaring, “No oppressive law or decision can suppress his vision—Imran Khan will speak, and the nation will speak with him.”
The statement said the Adiala Jail administration’s refusal to allow meetings with Imran Khan constituted a blatant violation of court orders and fundamental political rights. Despite explicit judicial directions, the party alleged, CM Sohail Afridi, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja, and KP President Junaid Akbar were stopped at the prison gate and denied access to meet the detained leader on Thursday.
PTI reminded that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had in March 2025 directed jail authorities to allow meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays as per an approved visitors’ list. “Yet, the Adiala Jail administration has repeatedly and blatantly defied court orders,” the statement said.
“If the courts cannot enforce their own decisions, and if the jail administration openly defies judicial orders, then what purpose do such verdicts serve? Are courts merely meant to issue judgments, or to ensure that justice is truly delivered?” the statement questioned.
The party also criticized the Islamabad High Court’s recent decision to reinstate Rule 265, which restricts prisoners from engaging in political discussions. PTI called the move a step back toward authoritarianism, claiming it had been revived at the Punjab government’s request to suppress dissent and muzzle Imran Khan’s political expression.
“The three-member IHC bench has revived a rule that symbolizes oppression and dictatorship,” the statement read, asserting that the law has been reimposed to silence a national leader and stifle democratic rights.
PTI further alleged that the revival of the rule, coupled with repeated violations of visitation rights, reflected a broader strategy to isolate and silence Imran Khan. “He is being denied the right to meet anyone, speak freely, or convey his message to the people,” the statement claimed.
Reiterating that Imran Khan leads Pakistan’s largest political party, PTI stressed that engaging in political discourse is a constitutional right, not a privilege. The statement argued that using administrative rules or judicial decisions to gag political speech amounted to “an assault on democracy.”
“Laws and judgments being used to gag a national leader like Imran Khan represent not democracy, but the worst form of fascism—and, regrettably, the courts appear to be enabling it,” PTI’s statement concluded.
