SC rejects request for immediate meeting with Imran Khan

Imran Khan – (Web Desk) – On Monday, the Supreme Court turned down a request seeking an urgent meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently in custody. The court said it could not approve such a meeting without first notifying the government.

The request was filed by senior PTI leader Latif Khosa. During the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi told Khosa that the court cannot pass any order for a meeting without giving the government prior notice.

However, the court did issue a notice to the government for Tuesday regarding Khosa’s request. The chief justice added that before considering the meeting, the court must address objections about whether the petition is maintainable. He also reminded that related issues are already being handled by other courts.

“This case has become ineffective at this stage,” the chief justice said, noting that the matter relates to an earlier order issued on August 24, 2023.

Reiterating the court’s position, the chief justice said no order regarding a meeting could be passed without issuing notice. He added that the court would have to determine whether the case had become infructuous or could still be pursued.

In recent months, the former ruling party has staged multiple protests over the lack of access to the jailed leader.

Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his ouster from power through the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.

Last week, the Supreme Court said that a memorandum submitted by PTI leadership on February 6 had once again been conveyed to the “relevant executive authorities” for appropriate consideration under the law.

In a statement, a public relations officer of the top court said: “The concerns relating to access to the imprisoned PTI leader and the provision of medical reports were once again conveyed to the relevant executive authorities…”.

The SC official said that a group of parliamentarians affiliated to the former ruling party, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, gathered in front of the court last month to register their concerns regarding access to their imprisoned leader.

The official said that the SC registrar engaged with the PTI’s representatives and assured them that the concerns would be brought to the notice of CJP Yahya Afridi.

Pakistan Praises Historic Saudi Defence Pact at UN

“Later in the day, their counsel, Mr Salman Akram Raja, Advocate Supreme Court, was granted audience by the honourable chief justice of Pakistan,” read the statement.

As the matter raised did not directly pertain to proceedings pending before the SC, the concerns were referred to the relevant “executive authorities” for consideration in accordance with law, on which the gathering dispersed peacefully.