Supreme Court rejects request for ‘immediate meeting’ with Imran Khan

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has rejected a request seeking an immediate meeting with incarcerated meeting with jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The court, while hearing petitions related to Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi, said the PTI’s memorandum seeking jail visitation rights for the party founder has been forwarded to the relevant authorities for consideration under the law.

The request for the meeting, submitted by senior PTI leader Latif Khosa, was rejected by the two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Yayha Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

The apex court observed that such an order could not be passed without issuing notice to the government. A notice was then issued to the government for tomorrow (Tuesday).

The chief justice remarked that, at this stage, the court would first have to cross the hurdle of objections regarding the maintainability of the petition. He further reminded the petitioner that related matters were already pending before other courts.

Reiterating the court’s position, the chief justice said no order regarding a meeting could be passed without issuing notice. He added that the court would have to determine whether the case had become infructuous or could still be pursued.

In recent months, the former ruling party has staged multiple protests over the lack of access to the jailed leader.

Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his ouster from power through the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.