IHC to hear plea seeking closure of Imran Khan’s X account today

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court is set to take up on Monday a petition seeking the closure of former prime minister Imran Khan’s account on X.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir will hear the matter. Before the court, Adiala Jail authorities have already submitted their response, while the remaining respondents have been directed to file their replies.

Imran Khan is being represented in the case by his counsel Salman Akram Raja. The court had earlier allowed Raja to meet the former prime minister for consultation in connection with the case, but the meeting did not take place despite the court order.

Petition over social media account

The case is linked to a petition filed by citizen Ghulam Murtaza, who has asked the court to order the blocking of Imran Khan’s X account.

In January, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) informed the Islamabad High Court that the former prime minister had declined to cooperate with it in an inquiry related to alleged social media posts attributed to the PTI founder from inside prison.

The NCCIA submitted its report to the high court in the same proceedings concerning the request to block the account.

Imran Khan has been held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since September 2023. He regularly posts on social media, particularly on X, where he criticises the government and state institutions.

Separate petition regarding Bushra Bibi

Separately, the IHC Registrar’s Office has assigned a number to another petition and fixed it for hearing. The petition was filed by Mubashra Khawar Maneka, a daughter of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi.

In that petition, she has requested that her mother be allowed access to a personal physician. She has also sought family visitation rights.

The two matters are separate, with one concerning the plea to shut down Imran Khan’s X account and the other relating to access and visitation requests concerning Bushra Bibi.