TTAP slams ‘systematic effort to deprive’ Imran Khan of legal rights

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court on Monday directed the Adiala Jail Superintendent to file a reply over the refusal to accept Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s signature on a power of attorney.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro presided over the hearing on a petition filed by Imran’s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry. Justice Soomro asked about the legal procedure involved in the matter, to which Chaudhry explained that there was a legal process, referring to jail policy and a precedent set by the Lahore High Court.

He also highlighted that prison rules regarding access to prisoners were well defined, citing the Nelson Mandela International Rules for the Rights of Prisoners.

Chaudhry informed the court that despite multiple visits to Adiala Jail and after sending the documents through courier, the power of attorney documents were not accepted and in the latter case, the jail authorities claimed to have never received them.

The hearing was adjourned till May 25 and the court issued a notice to the jail superintendent, directing him to respond by then.

The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan wrote in X that efforts to deprive Imran of his legal and constitutional rights were part of a “systematic effort” to deprive him of his rights.

He further said that repeated refusals to accept power of attorney documents and denial of access to a lawyer were part of a broader campaign of political revenge.

“Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry visited Adiala Jail on March 27, April 2 and April 3 to obtain signatures of Imran Khan on the power of attorney documents, but the jail authorities refused to even accept the documents.”

The statement also reiterated that despite these efforts, “Imran Khan has never bowed and never will,” asserting that the power of the Constitution, the law and the people will ultimately prevail over injustice.

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“First the arrests, then the false cases, then the restrictions on gatherings and now the efforts to block even legal documents – all this serves as proof that the chain of political vendetta against Imran Khan continues to this day.”