ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, has filed a contempt of court petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the Adiala Jail superintendent and several senior officials for allegedly failing to comply with a court order that restored a twice-a-week visitation schedule for the incarcerated former prime minister.
The petition comes a day after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI leaders staged an overnight sit-in outside Adiala Jail after Afridi was denied a meeting with Imran Khan for the eighth consecutive time.
The PTI ended its sit-in on Friday morning, announcing its intention to approach the IHC. Aleema’s petition names Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, Saddar Beroni SHO Raja Aizaz Azeem, Federal Interior Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha and Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin as respondents. A copy of the petition states that Aleema remains deeply concerned about her brother’s well-being, legal rights, and humane treatment.
The petition cites the IHC’s March 24 order that reinstated two weekly visitation days. It argues that officials have wilfully violated the court’s directives by persistently denying access to Imran’s family, lawyers, and political associates. The plea adds that despite clear instructions and even after standard operating procedures were submitted on March 28, 2024, designating Tuesdays and Thursdays for visitation, authorities failed to follow through.
The petition recalls that on November 8, 2024, the superintendent submitted an undertaking promising adherence to visitation arrangements. However, when PTI leaders arrived at the jail on November 11, they were made to wait for hours and later detained by police. Aleema argues that such actions amount to deliberate contempt and are intended to undermine the authority of the IHC.
At the IHC on Friday morning, CM Afridi and Aleema attempted to meet the IHC chief justice but were informed he was unwilling to meet them. Afridi expressed frustration, stating that no one had been allowed to meet Imran Khan or his wife Bushra Bibi since October 27. He condemned the treatment of Imran’s sisters during a previous sit-in, alleging they were manhandled and dragged by police.
Afridi further claimed discrimination against KP and accused the federal government of pushing Pakistan’s largest political party against the wall. He announced that PTI would block National Assembly and Senate sessions until Imran’s visitation rights were restored and called for parliamentarians nationwide to gather outside the IHC on Tuesday before marching to Adiala Jail.
In response, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI of abandoning governance in KP and focusing solely on seeking political guidance from a convicted leader, which he said violated jail regulations.
