Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has filed a contempt of court petition against the Adiala jail superintendent and others over their failure in following an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order that directed a twice-a-week meeting schedule for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, local media reported on Friday.
Aleema Khan filed the petition after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, along with several other PTI members, held an overnight sit-in outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Imran Khan has been incarcerated since 2023, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported on Friday. The party staged the sit-in after Afridi was not allowed to meet Khan for the eighth time on Thursday.
In the petition, Aleema Khan has named Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, Saddar Beroni Station House Office Raja Aizaz Azeem, Federal Interior Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha and Punjab Home Department Secretary Noorul Amin as respondents.
The petition mentioned about the IHC’s March 24 order in which the court had reinstated the twice-a-week meeting schedule for Imran. In the plea, Aleema Khan requested the initiation of contempt of court proceedings “on account of the wilful non-implementation of the orders passed by this honourable court, particularly with respect to the authorities’ failure to allow” her meetings with Imran, in line with the high court’s directives in March.
The plea stated that Imran Khan and others were “constrained” to file writ petitions before the IHC, seeking the enforcement of visitation rights “due to the persistent non-cooperation” of the Adiala Jail superintendent and “ongoing political victimization.”
“However, despite the clear and unequivocal directions of this honourable court, the respondents have failed to comply and have repeatedly denied access to the legal counsel, family members, and associates” of Imran on multiple occasions, it added.
The petitioner has requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the respondents for not following the IHC’s March 24 order and urged the court to punish them as per the law.
On Thursday, Sohail Afridi said that PTI was considering its “last option” to secure a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan after he was once again not allowed to meet him in prison. It was Afridi’s eighth attempt to meet Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, the local media reported on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Afridi said, “November 27 was the date for Imran Khan’s cases, but today, December 20 has been given as the date. Since October 27, Imran Khan’s sisters, doctors, lawyers and PTI leadership have not been allowed to meet him and our concerns are growing. They should decide which side they stand on? Because if they continue with this attitude, we are considering the last option we have and we will adopt the last option.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail authorities have said that the PTI founder has not been shifted from prison and remains “in good health.”
In a statement on Wednesday, officials from the Rawalpindi prison said, “There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala jail. He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention,” another leading Pakistani daily ‘The News International’ reported. The officials called the rumours about his health “baseless” and insisted that Imran Khan’s well-being was being ensured.
Khan, who has remained in prison since August 2023, faces multiple cases, including corruption and terrorism, since his ouster from power through no-trust motion in 2022.
The statement of jail authorities comes as PTI has been demanding clarification from the government about rumours regarding Imran Khan, urging authorities to arrange a meeting between PTI founder and his family. The party’s demand comes as Imran Khan’s sisters have not been allowed to meet him in the recent weeks, leading them to raise question about his whereabouts. Several social media users made claims about Imran Khan’s death on X.
(IANS)
