IHC sends KP leaders’ petition for Imran Khan meeting to chief justice

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has referred to the chief justice a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam seeking permission to meet jailed PTI founder Imran Khan for consultations on the province’s upcoming budget.

The matter came before Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who was informed that several petitions of a similar nature regarding jail meetings with the PTI founder were already pending before a larger bench of the high court. After reviewing the position, the judge referred the file to the IHC chief justice for further orders on how the case should proceed.

The petitioners had challenged objections raised by the Registrar’s Office over the maintainability of their plea and also sought an urgent hearing, arguing that the request was linked to the ongoing budget preparation process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Representing the petitioners, Advocate Ali Bukhari told the court that the request concerned a meeting for provincial budget consultations and should therefore be treated separately. He said previous court orders and rulings in similar matters had already been placed on record.

Registrar’s report and court observations

The Registrar’s Office submitted a report along with a list of pending petitions related to prison meetings with Imran Khan. A larger bench had already been constituted to hear identical matters involving prison visits.

During the hearing, Justice Soomro noted that although the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet had approved the proposed consultation, the petition had been moved by the chief minister and the finance adviser in their personal capacities rather than on behalf of the provincial government.

Advocate Bukhari argued that whether such a consultative meeting was necessary for budget-making was a question for judicial determination and could not be settled through administrative objections from the Registrar’s Office. He also pressed the urgency of the matter in view of the budget timeline.

The court asked the petitioners to formally place their objections before it through a note and observed that an order would be passed after examining the issue. In the written order issued later, Justice Soomro said the Registrar had submitted a report showing that similar petitions were already before a larger bench, after which the matter was sent to the chief justice for appropriate directions.

Background to access disputes

Imran Khan has been imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, after being convicted for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in the £190 million corruption case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The KP chief minister has repeatedly tried to secure a meeting with the PTI founder at Adiala jail but has not succeeded. Last month, he, along with the entire provincial cabinet and national and provincial lawmakers, was stopped by Islamabad police on the way to the jail after leaving the M-1 motorway.

The IHC has previously allowed the former prime minister to hold meetings twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with family members, lawyers and other associates. Despite that order, he has remained unable to meet visitors for several months.