The Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) has restored biweekly meetings for former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), founding president Imran Khan in Adiala Cail, but also prohibited visitors from making political statements after meetings.
The ruling, issued on Mondays, allows them to know relatives and lawyers on Tuesdays and friends on Thursdays. However, only those approved by Imran coordinator, lawyer Salman Akram Raja, will be allowed.
During the hearing, the Court expressed concern about visitors who use prison meetings for political messages. The president of the Interim Supreme Court Sarfaraz Dogar commented that visitors should “meet and leave”, emphasizing that the media talk was unnecessary.
The court ordered visitors to sign a company that guarantees that they did not make public statements after the meetings.
The prison authorities defended previous restrictions, citing security threats. They said that Khan’s meetings had consolidated in a day instead of two to manage the risks.
The court dismissed the argument, stating that Imran’s biweekly visits had already been approved in a previous ruling.
Meanwhile, Imran’s legal team argued that scheduled meetings were being arbitrarily denied. His lawyer, Zaheer Abbas, said that, despite the appropriate applications, a meeting scheduled on March 20 did not take place.
Judge Dogar instructed Imran’s lawyers to approach the court of first instance separately if they wanted permission for their children to visit.
The ruling occurs in the midst of current legal battles by Imran, who has been in jail since January after being convicted in corruption cases. His legal status changed a low trial to the convicted prisoner, affecting his privileges of the prison.
The prison authorities argue that meetings must be limited for security reasons. However, the court emphasized that political debates should not be maintained during or after visits.
Imran’s legal team assured the Court that visitors would comply with the new restrictions, clearing the way for the resumption of biweekly meetings.
With the court ruling, supporters and the legal team of Imran Khan can now meet him twice a week. However, any violation of the media gag order could lead to new legal actions.
The decision of the Superior Court of Islamabad is considered a small relief for the Imran camp, but the restrictions in political declarations show that the attempt of the Judiciary to prevent jail meetings from becoming a platform for political messages.
