By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The chief justice offered a glimmer of hope Thursday to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, assuring his legal team of a “positive response” to complaints about his prison conditions and stalled court cases within 24 hours, according to a senior lawyer.
The commitment from Chief Justice Yahya Afridi came during a closed-door meeting at the Supreme Court, where Khan’s attorney, Latif Khosa, hand-delivered a letter from the incarcerated leader detailing allegations of solitary confinement, denied medical care for his wife and a broader judicial blockade on his appeals.
Afridi also directed the team to submit a formal application to formalize their requests, a step that could expedite hearings in Khan’s dozens of pending matters. The exchange underscores intensifying scrutiny on Pakistan’s judiciary, which PTI supporters have accused of enabling a government-led crackdown on the opposition since Khan’s ouster in 2022.
With Khan now marking over two years in detention — much of it in isolation — the chief justice’s pledge marks a rare, immediate timeline for action in a legal saga that has dragged on amid claims of political persecution.
Khosa, speaking to reporters after the more-than-hour-long session, described Afridi as receptive. “The CJP had assured a ‘positive response’ to their plight within 24 hours and also asked them to move a proper application in this regard,” he said. The lawyer added that Afridi had pledged to enforce a policy ensuring any arrested individual is produced in court within 24 hours, a safeguard aimed at curbing prolonged detentions.
Afridi specifically requested Khan’s grievances about jail conditions in writing and promised a reply to those concerns by Friday, Khosa told journalists. “We will inform you about whatever happens in [the next] 24 hours,” Khosa said.
The meeting also touched on broader unease within PTI ranks about the judiciary’s independence. Khosa said he had conveyed “our reservations” about the courts to Afridi and raised the need for jail reforms. “The CJP has sought suggestions over jail reforms,” he noted.
Flanking Khosa during the briefing was Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, who announced that the group would return to the Supreme Court on Friday to press for updates on the letter’s reception. Accompanying them to the court earlier that day were veteran PTI figure Javed Hashmi and other party leaders, who faced a brief police stop at the entrance before being allowed inside to await the outcome.
Khan’s missive, titled “Denial of Justice and Fundamental Rights — A Call to the Supreme Court,” lays bare a litany of frustrations. The former cricket star-turned-politician wrote that the “doors of justice remain closed to him and his wife” and described his own ordeal as “continuous solitary confinement” in a space he likened to a “cage measuring 9 x 11.” Facing what he termed 300 “politically motivated cases,” Khan urged Afridi to order immediate hearings on his outstanding petitions across all courts.
He demanded medical facilities for his wife, Bushra Bibi — whose health he said was “continues to deteriorate, yet her doctor is barred from examining her, let alone provide any treatment” — as well as phone access to his sons, rights enshrined in the jail manual.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
