Sohail Afridi slams ‘jungle rule’ where courts cannot enforce orders, guarantees meeting with jailed Imran
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived at the Islamabad High Court on Friday morning after a 15-hour sit-in outside Adiala Jail, where he was told that Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar had refused to meet him. “We received a message from the Chief Justice stating that he cannot meet us,” Afridi told the media.
The sit-in was organized to protest the repeated refusal to meet jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite court orders.
Afridi said he had exhausted all options. “I have exhausted all constitutional and legal avenues. Despite yesterday’s court order, neither the other leaders nor I were allowed to meet with the founder.” He warned that if the courts cannot enforce his orders, “the country will fall into the jungle empire.”
The PTI leadership is actively seeking permission to meet Imran and seeking implementation of numerous IHC orders that allowed such meetings.
Afridi was accompanied by KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, lawyer Ali Bukhari and Aleema Khan. They headed towards the chief justice’s office but were turned away.
Read: PTI demands meeting with Imran Khan, citing health concerns
The KP Advocate General confirmed to the media that Judge Dogar had rejected the meeting. “The Chief Justice has not met with anyone; he has not met with the Advocate General or with any lawyer.”
The PTI has announced that it will not allow the National Assembly and the Senate to continue with sessions until their demands are met. “Next Tuesday we will gather in front of the High Court and in front of Adiala jail,” Afridi said.
The dispute has widened the rift between the PTI and the government over Imran’s detention conditions.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry insisted on Thursday that Imran was receiving meetings strictly in accordance with the jail manual, with weekly slots designated for family members and legal representatives. He said no officer would risk violating court-ordered supervision.
Read more: Imran’s sisters end Adiala Road sit-in after negotiations with police
Chaudhry detailed the facilities provided to the former prime minister, including chicken meals, an exercise machine, six large barracks, a television, a physiotherapist and a personal cook. He argued that these amenities were within permissible limits and did not reflect any violation of the rules.
The minister criticized what he called unnecessary protests outside the prison, saying a small group routinely organized sit-ins despite knowing the meetings were being held under judicial supervision. He claimed that recent by-election defeats showed a decline in public support for such demonstrations.
PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar rejected Chaudhry’s comments, saying the facilities were irrelevant and demanding a firm date for the next meeting. He refused to submit a committee report until the matter was resolved, prompting the adjournment of the Senate session until Friday.
Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. His party says prolonged isolation violates prison rules. Online campaigns have boosted the hashtag “WHEREISIMRANKHAN”.
Speculation has circulated in local media about Imran’s possible transfer to a more restrictive facility. However, a senior prison official told Reuters that the former prime minister was in good health and that no transfer was planned. The official did not want to be identified for protocol reasons.
