PTI top brass eyes meeting with Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja were among the lawyers whose names were submitted to Adiala jail authorities for a meeting with former prime minister Imran Khan, who has remained incarcerated in multiple cases since 2023.

According to the list filed by Advocate Awais Younas Chaudhry, the request also included Ali Zaman, Haider Majeed, Imran Khan Orakzai and Shamsa Kiyani. Jail authorities were asked to allow the meeting on Tuesday in accordance with court orders.

The development came after Barrister Gohar said in parliament that he hoped the recent handshake between Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would help ease tensions between the treasury and opposition benches and could open the way for a meeting with Imran Khan.

Aleema Khan and Imran Khan’s other sisters were also expected to visit Adiala jail. The Islamabad High Court had earlier allowed family members and lawyers to meet Imran Khan every Tuesday. Last Tuesday, Aleema had announced a protest of 10,000 people outside the prison, but it did not take place after only about 1,000 supporters showed up. PTI leaders blamed National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who heads the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan alliance, for the failure of the demonstration, an allegation rejected by the alliance’s spokesperson.

Jail response in Al Qadir Trust case

Separately, the superintendent of Adiala jail told the Islamabad High Court that counsel for Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi had tried to mislead the court over the signing of the power of attorney in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case.

In a written response submitted to the court, the superintendent said the document was prepared after being signed on June 16 and that Barrister Salman Safdar was informed through a text message the same day. A screenshot of the message was attached with the submission.

“The lawyers of the founder and Bushra Bibi deliberately did not obtain the power of attorney before the hearing on June 18,” the message read.

The court had repeatedly been told by the defence that the power of attorney could not be secured because of procedural delays. Barrister Safdar had sought adjournments more than once, saying he had been unable to meet his clients in jail. The IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, had earlier warned defence counsel that if arguments were not presented at the next hearing, the case would proceed on the available record.

Complaint over Bushra Bibi’s treatment

Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, filed a formal complaint with the Punjab home department, alleging criminal negligence and inhuman treatment by jail staff toward her mother at Adiala jail.

In a letter to the provincial home secretary, Maneka said Bushra Bibi had been suffering from a retinal disease that required surgery, but her complaints were ignored for weeks by jail staff. According to the complaint, the matter was only conveyed to the relevant authorities in mid-April, after which she underwent a medical examination and immediate surgery at Al Shifa Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.

The complaint held a specific jail employee responsible for negligence and also accused her of “consistently abusive, rude and disrespectful behaviour during routine jail interactions.”

Maneka requested strict disciplinary action against the staff member and sought her removal from any assignment involving control over her mother.