The Supreme Court said that as a constitutional body under Article 175 of the Constitution, it must have autonomy to conceive, design and approve infrastructure projects in accordance with its institutional requirements. Photo: Online
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed lawyer Salman Safdar as friend of the court to submit a report on the living conditions and health of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who is currently lodged in Adiala Jail.
At the beginning of the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi said Safdar should be treated with respect and not have to wait outside jail. “Our friend of the court is expected to have access to the PTI founder in Adiala jail with due respect,” the chief justice said.
He added that if the friend of the court faced any difficulty, his personal officer would be available to help him.
The court, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, directed Salman Safdar to visit Adiala jail and submit a written report on the PTI founder’s living conditions and the facilities available. The court also ordered that Safdar be given access to the PTI founder’s jail quarters so that he could prepare the report.
Read: SC rejects immediate meeting with Imran’s lawyer
The court ordered the friend of the court to submit the report by Wednesday and adjourned the hearing until the day after tomorrow.
During the proceedings, Salman Safdar asked if the scope of his report was limited to living conditions only. He told the court that “after a physical eye examination, there are some concerns regarding the health of the PTI founder.”
In response, the president of the Supreme Court ordered that the report on living conditions be presented in court.
Pakistan’s Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that in accordance with the August 24, 2023 order, a written reply had already been filed in the chambers. He said that at the time the order was passed, the PTI founder was lodged in Attock jail.
Read more: PTI plans long march after Eid to secure Imran Khan’s release
“We presented the written report in chambers on August 28, 2023,” said the attorney general, adding that medical reports from August 5 to 18 were also attached.
However, the Chief Justice observed that after the order of August 24, 2023, “there is no order on which this court has expressed satisfaction.”
The court said it had full confidence in Salman Safdar and found it appropriate to call for a fresh report on the PTI founder’s living conditions as he is now detained in another jail.
At the beginning of the hearing, the Chief Justice stopped senior lawyer Latif Khosa from addressing the court. At the end of the process, Khosa returned to the podium and asked permission to meet with his client.
The Supreme Court rejected Khosa’s request and ordered that Salman Safdar be allowed to visit Adiala jail on the same day.
A day earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected an urgent request by Imran Khan’s lawyer to allow an immediate meeting with the jailed former prime minister, while referring multiple appeals related to the PTI founder to different courts.
The same division court had taken up 13 cases, including appeals by the Punjab government against the bail of Imran Khan and an appeal against granting bail to his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Also read: Supreme Court refers PTI memorandum on Imran Khan’s jail access to ‘executive authorities’
During that hearing, the court rejected the request for an immediate meeting, but issued a notice to the government regarding Khosa’s application seeking permission to meet with his client.
CJP Afridi had observed that no order could be passed without notifying the other party and said the court would first decide the objections related to maintainability of the petition. He noted that several related matters were pending before other courts and noted that the case appeared to have become infructuous as it arose from the August 24, 2023 order.
“We will first determine whether the case is unsuccessful or still maintainable,” the chief justice had said.
Meanwhile, the court also ordered formation of a three-member bench to hear appeals against the acquittal of Imran Khan and PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
