On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reinstated the visitation rights of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, allowing him to meet his family, friends, and legal team twice a week.
A three-member bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar, was formed to review 26 petitions concerning Imran Khan’s visitation rights and the conditions of his imprisonment. The bench, also comprising Justices Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Muhammad Azam Khan, conducted the hearing.
These petitions, including contempt of court charges against Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, were transferred to the larger bench at the request of the jail superintendent, who cited logistical difficulties in addressing multiple benches.
During the proceedings, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Zaheer Abbas, stated that the PTI leader was scheduled to meet his family and legal team on Tuesday, and his friends on Thursday. Abbas also pointed out that, according to standard operating procedures (SOPs), the meeting that was supposed to take place on March 20 had not occurred.
Justice Dogar remarked that this was a minor issue, which had already been settled in the intra-court appeal. Barrister Salman Akram Raja, PTI’s Secretary-General, reiterated that their Thursday meeting had not taken place according to the SOPs.
Advocate Naveed Malik, representing the jail superintendent, argued that the meetings had been held twice a week up until December, before Imran and Bushra Bibi’s conviction in January. He suggested that the status of Imran Khan had changed following his conviction and that the meetings had been consolidated into one day due to security concerns. Malik also claimed that PTI leaders had misused the privilege by making political statements after meetings.
Acting Chief Justice Dogar questioned Malik’s argument, asking whether the meetings were being compressed into one day instead of two. Lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat maintained that the matter had already been addressed in the appeal.
Malik argued that PTI leaders used the meetings for political purposes, which was a violation of the rules. However, Justice Tahir responded that if the jail authorities had properly enforced the rules, 98 applications related to the issue would not have been filed. Justice Dogar added that the court would ensure that no political discussions take place after the meetings, stating they would take an undertaking from those involved.
Barrister Naveed Malik acknowledged that meetings could be arranged twice a week if assurances were given that no political statements would be made. However, he emphasized that the jail authorities preferred to limit the meetings to just one day.
Justice Dogar responded that senior counsel Salman Akram Raja had assured the court that no political discussions would occur outside the jail after the meetings.
The court decided that only the designated coordinator for Imran Khan would determine who could meet him, and that no media statements would be made after the meetings. Regarding a potential meeting between Imran Khan and his children, Justice Dogar instructed the concerned parties to apply to the trial court for approval.
