Pakistan court removes hurdles in KP chief’s plea to meet ex-PM Imran Khan

A Pakistani court removed on Monday legal objections to a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is seeking permission to meet jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the case and struck down the registrar's objections. The court also issued notices to the Interior Secretary, Punjab Home Secretary, Inspector General of Police, and Superintendent of Adiala Jail, ordering them to respond by October 23.

Advocate Ali Bukhari represented the KP chief minister during the hearing.

Bukhari told the court that the registrar's office had raised several objections to Afridi’s plea, including that the IHC had already ruled on jail meetings with Khan. Another objection questioned how the chief minister could file such a petition without prior approval from the provincial cabinet.

The lawyer argued that the objection was invalid because the cabinet had not yet been formed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After hearing arguments, the court dismissed all objections and issued notices to the relevant authorities.

The registrar's office had earlier maintained that the court had already established procedures and standard operating protocols for meetings with Khan. It said PTI officials were responsible for preparing a weekly list of visitors permitted to meet their party founder, but those officials were not named in Afridi’s petition.

The decision marks the latest development in Afridi’s effort to meet Khan, who has been held at Adiala Jail since 2023 following multiple convictions.

On October 17, Afridi filed a separate petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court seeking permission to hold regular meetings with Khan. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, he requested directions to the federal interior ministry and Punjab’s home department to facilitate the visits, saying he needed Khan’s guidance on governance and policy matters.

Afridi said he had already written to the relevant authorities on October 15 but received no confirmation. His petition argues that as the elected head of a province of nearly 45 million people, he must consult with his party’s founder on issues such as cabinet formation, economic challenges, and inter-provincial disputes, including an ongoing wheat supply disagreement with Punjab.

The plea calls for periodic, supervised meetings between Afridi and Khan “in the public interest.” The Supreme Court’s registry received the petition on October 16.

Afridi’s efforts to meet Khan have so far been unsuccessful. On October 16, he waited nearly two hours at a police checkpoint near Adiala Jail but was not allowed entry. Heavy security was deployed, and the main road leading to the prison was closed to traffic during his visit.

Afridi, 35, represents the Khyber district and won his provincial assembly seat in the 2024 general elections by more than 24,000 votes. Known for his loyalty to Khan, he previously served as the province’s higher education minister and as special assistant for communications and works.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains a stronghold of Khan’s PTI party despite its ouster from power nationally after Khan was removed as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in 2022.

Khan, 72, a former cricket star who led Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023 on multiple charges, including corruption. His arrest sparked violent protests across Pakistan, with demonstrators attacking military installations and government buildings. The government described the unrest as a “coordinated assault on state institutions,” while PTI insisted the protests were spontaneous.

Since then, authorities have carried out a sweeping crackdown on PTI, detaining hundreds of party leaders and supporters. Several PTI figures have since been convicted of inciting violence or vandalism during the May 2023 unrest.