Pakistan opposition leaders meet Chief Justice to seek Imran Khan's release

Senior leaders of Pakistan's main opposition party held their first-ever meeting with the country's Chief Justice on Friday, seeking the release of their imprisoned founder Imran Khan and other detained party leaders and workers.

The delegation of seven Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders presented their concerns to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi during a two-hour meeting at his residence, marking the first such high-level engagement between the opposition and judiciary since Khan's imprisonment.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan told the chief justice that PTI members face deliberate scheduling of court appearances in different locations simultaneously, making it impossible for them to attend hearings. The delegation also reported harassment of party lawyers and registration of terrorism cases against them.

Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and senior party lawyers including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Barrister Ali Zafar, and Sardar Muhammad Latif Khosa attended the meeting. They emphasized that jail authorities frequently disregard court orders and suppress the party's rights to assembly and expression.

According to PTI's Barrister Ali Zafar, Chief Justice Afridi assured the delegation he would take appropriate action within his constitutional authority to address their concerns. The meeting was also attended by the Registrar Supreme Court of Pakistan Muhammad Salim Khan and Secretary Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Tanzeela Sabahat.

Judicial reforms discussed

During the meeting, Chief Justice Afridi revealed he had already met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding judicial reforms and received input from bar associations and district courts. He is awaiting feedback from High Court registrars and provincial judicial academies.

The chief justice suggested judicial reform should become a bipartisan national agenda, particularly emphasizing the need to expedite tax cases and reduce the Supreme Court's case backlog.

Barrister Ali Zafar requested time to respond to judicial reform proposals shared by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan. The delegation connected Pakistan's economic stability to rule of law and argued that recovery depends on making the executive branch more accountable.

Khan's letter to Chief Justice

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court announced it would review Khan's letter about alleged rights violations through its constitutional committee under Article 184(3) of the Constitution. The announcement came during Chief Justice Afridi's media briefing following a meeting with an International Monetary Fund delegation conducting a corruption assessment mission.

The 365-page letter, sent to the Supreme Court in January, outlined extensive allegations of state persecution against PTI. Khan detailed an assassination attempt against him in November 2023, alleged deaths of 42 protesters during a November 2024 demonstration in Islamabad, and multiple instances of enforced disappearances.

In his letter, Khan cited 17 cases of enforced disappearances before May 9, 2023 - when his arrest sparked nationwide protests - 19 cases afterward, and 38 more following the February 2024 elections. He specifically highlighted the case of Advocate Intezar Panjutha's abduction, providing photographic evidence from after his release.

PTI-state clash entering third year

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 following arrests in multiple cases including corruption and leaking state secrets. His party claims these charges were fabricated to prevent him from participating in February's general election, which saw his party's candidates run as independents after losing their party symbol.

The party has faced intense pressure since Khan's ouster, with many leaders either imprisoned, in hiding, or having left the party. PTI claims over 10,000 party workers and leaders have been arrested since May 2023.