ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday declined a request seeking an immediate meeting with incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, observing that no such order could be passed without issuing prior notice to the federal government.
The request was made by senior PTI leader Latif Khosa during court proceedings. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, while addressing the petitioner, noted that the court was not in a position to issue any direction regarding a meeting without first hearing the government.
However, the court issued notice to the government for Tuesday on Khosa’s application seeking permission to meet the PTI founder.
The chief justice observed that the court would first have to address objections regarding the maintainability of the petition, noting that related matters were already pending before other forums. He further remarked that the case appeared to have become ineffective, as it stemmed from an order issued on August 24, 2023.
Reiterating the court’s position, the chief justice said it would be determined at a later stage whether the petition had become infructuous or could still be pursued.
Imran Khan has remained in custody since August 2023 and is facing multiple cases, including allegations of corruption and terrorism, following his removal from office through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
In recent months, PTI has held several protests over restricted access to its jailed leader.
Last week, the Supreme Court said that a memorandum submitted by PTI leadership on February 6 was once again forwarded to the relevant executive authorities for consideration in accordance with the law.
A spokesperson for the apex court said that concerns regarding access to the imprisoned PTI leader and the provision of medical reports had been conveyed to the concerned authorities. The spokesperson added that a group of PTI parliamentarians, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, had gathered outside the Supreme Court last month to raise the issue.
The registrar of the Supreme Court engaged with PTI representatives and assured them that their concerns would be brought to the notice of the chief justice. Later, PTI counsel Salman Akram Raja was granted an audience by the chief justice.
As the matter did not directly relate to proceedings pending before the Supreme Court, the concerns were referred to the relevant executive authorities, after which the gathering dispersed peacefully.