LEGAL
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request seeking an “immediate” meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and issued a notice to the federal government, directing it to respond by Tuesday.
The decision was taken during the hearing of 13 petitions related to Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi. The Supreme Court noted that PTI’s memorandum seeking jail visitation rights for the former prime minister had been forwarded to the relevant executive authorities for consideration in accordance with the law.
The request for the meeting was submitted by senior PTI leader Latif Khosa and was heard by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. The bench observed that such an order could not be passed without hearing the government’s position, leading to the issuance of a notice.
Addressing Khosa, CJP Afridi remarked that the court first needed to address the maintainability of the application, noting that several related cases were pending before other courts. He further observed that the matter appeared to have become infructuous in light of an earlier order issued on August 24, 2023.
“The court cannot issue any order regarding the meeting without issuing notice,” the chief justice said.
Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 following convictions in multiple cases, which he has consistently described as politically motivated after his removal from office through a no-confidence vote in 2022.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court also ordered the formation of a three-member bench to hear appeals against Imran Khan’s acquittal in the cipher case. A separate three-member bench was directed to hear appeals against the acquittal of PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the same case. Both leaders were acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on June 3, 2024.
Separately, while hearing Imran Khan’s bail petition in the Al-Qadir University Trust case — in which he was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in 2025 — the court dismissed the bail plea as infructuous.
According to a supplementary cause list issued last week, several other petitions were also fixed for hearing, including the Punjab government’s appeal against bail granted to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, appeals under the Official Secrets Act, the National Accountability Bureau case related to the Al-Qadir University Trust, and Imran Khan’s appeal against a Rs10 billion defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
‘Sign of political victimisation’
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Imran Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar described the simultaneous hearing of 14 petitions as a “sign of political victimisation”.
He alleged that the government had filed appeals in every case where the former prime minister had obtained relief and claimed that the judiciary had consistently granted relief to Imran Khan in the past.
Safdar also raised concerns over restrictions on meetings with the incarcerated PTI founder, stating that only one brief meeting had been allowed in the past five months. He further claimed that more than 300 cases had been registered against Imran Khan, with several bail pleas still pending before lower courts.
Highlighting concerns over Imran Khan’s health, Safdar said the defence had not yet sought bail on medical grounds but criticised the lack of transparency regarding medical reports. He also referred to a PTI memorandum alleging violations of Imran Khan’s rights as a prisoner and claims of a “secretive medical procedure” carried out without informing his family.
Separately, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja told reporters that cases in which the party sought relief were not being fixed for hearing in the IHC, while government appeals were prioritised. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the medical report provided to the party, calling it incomplete.
Despite expressing frustration over the legal process, Raja said the party would continue to pursue justice through the courts.
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