SC seeks replies in Imran access case

Court asks jail and officials to respond over meeting curbs

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Adiala Jail superintendent, Punjab's home secretary, and the advocate generals for Islamabad and Punjab, directing them to file their replies within three weeks in a case related to the denial of access to imprisoned PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

A three-member bench led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the case.

The petition, filed by Senator Mashal Azam through Barrister Ali Zafar, challenged the alleged failure to comply with an Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruling permitting meetings with the former prime minister.

A petition had also been filed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.

During the proceedings, Raja, Barrister Ali Zafar, and Advocate Uzair Bhandari appeared before the court.

The same bench also took up a separate case seeking the PTI founder's transfer from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment. Advocate Bhandari requested an early hearing, arguing that the matter had been pending for more than three months.

Bhandari told the court that the appeal remained unprocessed for nearly a month because it had not been assigned a case number by the Supreme Court Registrar's Office. He further stated that the appeal had been delayed due to the absence of a power of attorney signed by the PTI founder.

Justice Mazhar asked the counsel whether he was submitting the power of attorney today.

Bhandari replied that the appeal had initially been filed through a special attorney because the power of attorney was not available at the time. Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan observed that the bench would not be available next week.

The counsel requested for an early hearing of the case.

The court advised the counsel to file a formal application for urgent hearing and adjourned the proceedings.

Speaking after the hearing, Barrister Zafar expressed hope that the proceedings would lead to the restoration of regular meetings between Imran Khan and his lawyers, family members, and Bushra Bibi, in accordance with their legal and constitutional rights.

Separately, Bhandari submitted a miscellaneous application seeking the hearing of a chamber appeal on June 22. The plea challenged objections raised by the Registrar's Office against the PTI founder's request for treatment at Shifa Hospital.

The application argued that the objections had become ineffective because the PTI founder had since provided a power of attorney, which was authenticated by Adiala Jail on May 25.

The application also stated that the PTI founder was taken to the PIMS for a medical examination on June 14 without informing his family.

Meanwhile, the IHC ordered authorities to obtain signatures from the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi on legal documents required to challenge a previous court order before the Supreme Court. A division bench directed the Advocate General's Office to ensure compliance within seven days.

In another related matter, the IHC reserved its decision on a request by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, seeking a meeting with the PTI founder for consultations on the provincial budget. The court stated that an appropriate order would be issued after reviewing the registrar's objections.