- Appropriate to seek report on Imran’s living conditions: SC.
- Court directs lawyer Barrister Safdar to submit report tomorrow.
- Orders access to be given to politician’s counsel to his barracks.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Barrister Salman Safdar, a lawyer of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, to meet the incarcerated former prime minister at Adiala jail, declaring the counsel “friend of the court”.
“It is appropriate that a report be sought on the living conditions of the PTI founder. Barrister [Salman] Safdar should be given access to the barracks of the PTI founder so that he can give a written response,” said the court.
The SC further directed the lawyer to submit the report on Imran’s living conditions by tomorrow (Wednesday).
Noting that the report submitted before the court in line with the August 24, 2023, order, wherein the court had sought a report on the former prime minister’s living condition, was at a time when the PTI founder was in the Attock jail. The court then adjourned the hearing till Thursday.
The ousted PM has been behind bars for more than two years. His incarceration, however, has consistently proved to be a flashpoint with the government as PTI protests, including scuffles with police and jail staff, continue over meetings with the ex-PM.
His party had recently, once again, raised concerns over health and living conditions, especially after it came to light that he had undergone a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) after being diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a disorder that commonly affects older adults and is linked to underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
Imran’s sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, have also raised concerns over the living conditions in the Adiala facility, alleging them to be “awful” and “substandard”.
The former ruling party has also made repeated attempts to secure a meeting and gain access to him amid the government’s prohibition on meeting with the ex-PM until February 8 — a date that has now passed.
Last week, the SC said that a memorandum submitted by the PTI, seeking access to Imran, had been conveyed to the “relevant executive authorities” for appropriate consideration under the law.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, the SC rejected a request seeking an immediate meeting with the PTI founder and observed that no such order could be passed without issuing prior notice to the government.
