Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restored the right of PTI founder to meet visitors twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while hearing petitions related to jail meetings.
The larger bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Muhammad Azam, issued the ruling.
According to the court's decision, only individuals nominated by PTI founder’s coordinator, Salman Akram Raja, will be allowed to meet him. Furthermore, the court has strictly prohibited any media interaction following these meetings.
During the hearing, PTI founder's lawyer, Zaheer Abbas, argued that despite submitting requests according to standard operating procedures (SOPs), jail authorities had not facilitated the meetings. He highlighted that even the scheduled meeting on March 20 was not arranged.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir pointed out that in the intra-court appeal, SOPs had already been set, allowing meetings twice a week. The prison authorities, represented by lawyer Naveed Malik, stated that due to security concerns, they had facilitated two meetings on a single day instead of allowing separate meetings on different days.
Malik further explained that PTI founder’s status in jail had changed after he and Bushra Bibi were convicted in January. He emphasized that jail rules grant the Adiala Jail Superintendent the authority to decide on meetings. The authorities also raised concerns that meetings were being misused for political statements outside jail premises.
In response, the court noted that meeting arrangements should not be used for political purposes and questioned why visitors needed to address the media after their meetings. Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar suggested taking an undertaking from visitors that they would not engage in political discussions post-meeting.
The court ruled that PTI founder’s meetings with his children should be addressed by the trial court. However, it reaffirmed that only individuals nominated by Salman Akram Raja would be permitted to visit him in jail.
