Adiala breakthrough

In a breakthrough of sorts in the legal realm, PTI lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar met Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, in Adiala jail after a hiatus spanning months. This sudden meeting has come as a pleasant surprise for party members and supporters. Safdar, as amicus curiae of the Supreme Court, had earlier twice met the incarcerated former prime minister, aprising the court of his health and jail conditions.

Given to understand that the reputed lawyer is a thorough professional, who has kept himself away from any narrative building, there is not much to read in the political context. Nonetheless, the meeting happening out of the blue after a prolonged solitary confinement has surely raised hope for a fall in political temperature. This move can be built upon to provide due relief to the former first couple and, likewise, to all political prisoners, thereby addressing the pestering political stability in the country.

The Monday meet must lead to regularisation of meetings with the imprisoned political leaders as per the jail manual. The defiance of the government to restrict lawful audiences with family, lawyers and personal physicians despite standing court orders had not only caused friction among the organs of the state, but also deepened mistrust in the sitting dispensation. The courts too failed to assert their writ, especially after the controversial 26th and 27th constitutional amendments – proving to be detrimental in the process of speedy justice and timely relief.

The way forward is to ensure that cases pending for appeal and bails see the light of the day. Imran Khan too had prescribed such a modus operandi, and the party has been continuously knocking on the doors of the court. The tendency of the executive overseeing the judiciary must come to an end, and justice be dispensed as per law and the Constitution. No out-of-the-box solution is desired for putting an end to political instability, as all it entails is to let the law take its course.