PTI leaders are permitted to meet with Imran in jail for elections ordered by IHC

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Staff Reporter

3 years ago

ISLAMABAD: In the days leading up to the polls on February 8, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday allowed PTI leaders and attorneys to meet with imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan and conduct election-related gatherings.

In response to a petition filed by Imran asking for authorization to meet in order to strategize ahead of the elections with party members Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar Khan, senators Aurangzeb Khan and Dost Mohammad Khan, and Ishtiaq Meherban, among others, the order was issued by Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb.

In the plea, the court was also asked to direct the Adiala Jail superintendent to protect Imran’s privacy when he meets with his legal counsel. Election-related activities have started inside the camps of the major political parties since the poll schedule was made public. The deadline for submitting nomination papers expired on Sunday, marking the official start of the election schedule. From December 25 to December 30, the nomination papers will be reviewed by the returning officers.

Gohar Khan, the chairman of the PTI, had earlier stated that Imran would still decide how many tickets to distribute. In the meantime, Barrister Ali Zafar had declared that PTI employees incarcerated would receive preference when it came to ticket distribution. Mansoor Usman Awan, Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP), attorneys for the PTI, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail made an appearance in the IHC today.

PTI attorney Shoaib Shaheen stated that while the AGP expressed concerns about the plea’s maintainability, the party needed to have talks before allocating 700 tickets. Judge Aurangzeb questioned Awan, expressing his dissatisfaction with his arguments, “Is the additional note from the Supreme Court insufficient for you? Would you like me to also write you a note?

He made these comments in reference to the cipher case’s additional note from Justice Athar Minallah. The Supreme Court judge emphasized in his note that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the government had a duty to guarantee that the public could express its will through a “genuine election,” and that they also had a duty to make sure that no political party was perceived to be subjected to oppression or repression while others were treated favorably. Justice Aurangzeb brought up these comments and stated that the AGP and Advocate General ought to be unbiased since they were speaking on behalf of the interim administration.

“A terrible system is being run under the interim government where even consultation on elections is not allowed,” he remarked, asking if the caretakers wanted to “derail the polls”. Subsequently, the court allowed PTI lawyers, including Chairman Gohar Khan, to hold consultations with Imran in jail. The court also passed orders for a meeting between Gohar and the ex-premier to be held under the supervision of the jail superintendent. – INP

Staff Reporter