Islamabad High Court Directs Meeting Between PTI Founder and Family, Lawyers on Tuesday
ISLAMABAD ( WEB NEWS )
The Islamabad High Court has directed that a meeting be held between the founder of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), his family, and his lawyers on Tuesday. The court issued this order during the hearing of a contempt of court petition after the PTI founder was not allowed to meet with his family and legal team despite the court’s earlier order.
The hearing was presided over by Justice Sardar Ejaz Asif Khan, with PTI founder’s lawyer, Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, Superintendent of Adiala Jail, Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, and Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat appearing before the court. Faisal Fareed Chaudhry informed the court that the meeting, which was scheduled for the previous day, did not take place. He was told that the road leading to Adiala Jail was blocked, affecting general public movement, and even political leaders like Asad Qaiser and Shibli Faraz were prevented from reaching the jail.
Advocate General Islamabad responded that the government had filed a reply in the contempt of court case, clarifying that three coordinators were appointed in line with the court’s order. However, they had not been given a list of individuals wishing to meet the PTI founder. Chaudhry, however, maintained that a list had been submitted by Waqar Punjab, a coordinator who had since gone missing.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Asif Khan questioned the Advocate General, asking whether the list had been provided or not, and demanded to know when the meeting would be arranged. He instructed the concerned authorities to ensure the meeting took place soon.
The Superintendent of Adiala Jail explained that the PTI founder’s doctors visit him three times a week and that Thursdays were designated for meetings with his family, lawyers, and doctors, while Wednesdays were for political leaders and friends.
The Advocate General further clarified that the meeting would take place next week, as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) had been finalized. According to these procedures, three coordinators had been designated, who were supposed to provide six names of people who could meet with the PTI founder.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Asif Khan asked who would oversee the meetings, noting the ongoing dispute between the jail authorities and the PTI founder’s coordinators. He directed that the list of people the PTI founder wished to meet be submitted to the court, and that the jail superintendent send this list to the Advocate General. This, he hoped, would resolve the conflict between the jail authorities and the PTI founder’s lawyers.
The court also announced that a commission would be formed to meet with the PTI founder in jail. The court ordered that the family and lawyers of the PTI founder should be allowed to meet him on Tuesday. Furthermore, the court directed that a copy of the submitted list be sent to PTI’s secretary, Salman Akram Raja.