Supreme Court refers PTI memo on Imran Khan jail access to ‘executive authorities’

The Supreme Court on Saturday refrained from issuing any order over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) memorandum requesting immediate jail visitation rights for party founder Imran Khan, adding that the letter had been conveyed to the “relevant executive authorities” for appropriate consideration in accordance with law”.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. In addition, he faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act for the May 9, 2023, protests. The party has expressed concern in recent days over Imran’s health and demanded treatment by his own team of doctors.

Read: Govt unveils report on Imran’s eye treatment

On Friday, after the government unveiled a report on Imran’s eye treatment, a group of PTI lawmakers led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi submitted a memorandum to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, outlining their grievances over being denied access to the PTI founder. According to the memo, the rights of Imran as a prisoner and human being have been consistently violated during his incarceration.

In a press release issued today, the Supreme Court said that on January 30, a group of parliamentarians affiliated with the PTI gathered outside the apex court to raise concerns regarding access to their imprisoned leader.

It said its registrar engaged with their representatives and assured them that their concerns would be brought to the CJP’s notice

It added that later in the day, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja was granted an audience by the chief justice.

“During the interaction, concerns relating to access to the imprisoned PTI leader, including access by family members and medical professionals, were conveyed. As the matter raised did not directly pertain to proceedings pending before the Supreme Court, the concerns were referred to the relevant executive authorities for consideration in accordance with law, on which the gathering dispersed peacefully,” the press release said.

It added that on Friday, concerns relating to access to the imprisoned PTI leader and the provision of medical reports were once again conveyed to the relevant executive authorities for appropriate consideration in accordance with the law after the PTI and opposition leaders approached the court and submitted a signed memorandum.

The Supreme Court also said that, to address such eventualities in the future, it had issued standard operating procedures for engaging aggrieved litigants, emphasising accessibility, facilitation and the provision of necessary amenities, including emergency medical cover, without compromising institutional decorum, judicial functions or the rights of other litigants.

Commenting on the court’s statement, Imran’s sister, Noreen Niazi, took exception to the court’s decision not to name the former prime minister, saying it instead used the term “jailed leader”.

“Leave aside everything else that has been written, but the shameful thing is that the Supreme Court of Pakistan did not have the courage to even write the name Imran Khan. Four times, the term ‘jailed leader’ was used instead.