SC Rejects Plea for Immediate Meeting With Imran Khan, Forms Benches in Cipher and May 9 Cases
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday turned down a request seeking an immediate meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, observing that no such order could be passed without issuing prior notice to the government, while also taking procedural steps in several high-profile cases linked to the jailed former premier.
The request was made by PTI senior leader and lawyer Latif Khosa, who urged the court to allow him to meet his client. Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, heading the bench, made it clear that any direction regarding a meeting would require notice to the other party. While rejecting the plea for immediate relief, the court issued a notice to the government for Tuesday on the request and adjourned the hearing until then.
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During the proceedings, the chief justice pointed out that the court must first address objections related to the maintainability of the petition. He reminded the petitioner that related matters were already pending before other courts and observed that, in the court’s view, the case may have become ineffective. He noted that the petition stemmed from an order issued on August 24, 2023, and said the court would examine whether the matter had become infructuous or could still proceed.
The Supreme Court also addressed several other cases involving the PTI founder. It ordered the formation of three-member benches to hear appeals related to the acquittal of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Cipher case. At the same time, the court dismissed Imran Khan’s bail application in the Al-Qadir Trust case on the grounds of ineffectiveness. Applications seeking cancellation of bail granted to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case were also dismissed for similar reasons.
In addition, a three-member bench was constituted to hear bail cancellation petitions connected to the May 9 incidents in Lahore. The hearings in both the Cipher case appeals and the May 9-related matters were adjourned for two weeks. All the cases on Monday were heard by a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Afridi, who stressed that due legal process, including issuing notices to all relevant parties, must be followed before any substantive orders could be made.
The issue of access to the incarcerated PTI founder has remained a point of contention in recent months, with the former ruling party staging multiple protests over the matter. Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and is facing a range of cases, including allegations related to corruption and terrorism, following his removal from office through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Last week, the Supreme Court said that a memorandum submitted by PTI leadership on February 6 regarding access to the imprisoned leader and provision of medical reports had once again been conveyed to the relevant executive authorities for consideration under the law. According to a statement issued by a public relations officer of the top court, a group of PTI-affiliated parliamentarians, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, had gathered outside the Supreme Court last month to raise their concerns.
The statement said the Supreme Court registrar engaged with PTI representatives and assured them that their concerns would be brought to the notice of the chief justice. Later the same day, 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 apex court, the concerns were referred to the relevant executive authorities, after which the gathering dispersed peacefully.
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