Babar Awan. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI / EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Lawyer Babar Awan warned that if “oppression” against PTI founder Imran Khan continues, his children are likely to return to the country.
He added that they have already requested visas to return.
“There is concern regarding children that if [their] communication is allowed [with Imran Khan]they can return. I share this concern. If these injustices persist, they will surely return,” Awan said.
The senior lawyer spoke to the media outside the Islamabad High Court.
He clarified that the children of the PTI founder are not involved in politics. “By law, they should be allowed to talk to their father at least once a week, but months have passed without any communication,” he said.
Awan criticized the statements of two federal ministers who claimed that the PTI founder would not be allowed to meet anyone until February 8, saying they had no legal authority to issue such directives. “According to the law, this is equivalent to two crimes: exceeding authority and violating the Constitution,” he said.
He explained that only the court that sends the prisoner to prison and the prison authorities have the legal right to regulate or allow visits. “No one else has this authority. For what reasons have these ministers blocked the meetings?” he questioned.
Referring to Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif’s time in prison, Awan said they had meetings inside the jail cells, with “50 visitors” allowed at a time in NAB custody. “The only fear seems to be the founder of the PTI,” Awan said.
