The leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) have firmly condemned the refusal to honor a court order to grant a meeting with former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Adiala prison, qualifying the law a lack of respect for the Judiciary.
Shibli Faraz, opposition leader in the Senate, condemned the violation of judicial orders during a media conference outside the prison on Thursday.
“Today, there has been a flagrant lack of respect for judicial orders,” he said. “This is not our lack of respect, but an insult to the judges and the judiciary. It is the responsibility of the judges, not ours, to protect the integrity and dignity of the Judiciary.”
Faraz’s comments followed the refusal of prison officials to allow the scheduled meeting, despite a court order, which described as a violation of the legal protocol.
“The lack of implementation of the Court’s decision does not tarnish our dignity, but undermines the Judiciary and its integrity,” he added.
In addition, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, accused the authorities of ignoring the Constitution and the law. “As usual, the law and the Constitution have been violated,” he said.
Referring to paragraph 7 of the Court’s ruling, Ayub stressed that the Superintendent of the Adiala prison had assured the court that the meeting would take place.
“We hope outside for four hours, repeatedly informing the prison authorities, but as usual, the intelligence officer in charge of the area prevented the meeting. We condemn this act.”
Ayub also criticized the role of intelligence officers, questioning their priorities. “His work should be to catch terrorists, not obstructing us to meet Imran Khan. It is a failure of intelligence that must be addressed,” he said, adding that security personnel in Baluchistan could not carry out their duties effectively due to intelligence failures.
Other criticisms came from Sahibzada Hamid Raza, head of the Sunita Ittehad Council, who expressed his dismay for the behavior of prison officials and their lack of respect for the decision of the largest bank.
“We will not let this matter go unnoticed. The decision of the court was ignored, and shows that the prison administration and the powerful officials are above the law,” he said.
Niazullah Niyazi, spokesman for the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, also expressed a strong conviction. “Today, the refusal to allow a meeting has raised a serious question about the credibility of the Judiciary,” said Niyaazi. “We will present a request for contempt in response to this rejection. The existence of Imran Khan is vital for this country and the State.”
