ISLAMABAD(National Times)-As political tensions deescalate in parliament, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram were among lawyers whose names had been shared with the Adiala jail administration for a meeting with former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail on multiple charges since 2023.
The list submitted by Awais Younas Chaudhry Advocate included the names of Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, Ali Zaman, Haider Majeed, Imran Khan Orakzai and Shamsa Kiyani. The jail administration was requested to allow them to meet the incarcerated party chief on Tuesday in line with the court orders.
The list containing the names of Barrister Gohar and Salman Raja came after the PTI interim chairman said in parliament that he hoped that the recent handshake between opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would improve the relationship between the treasury and the opposition benches, and hopefully pave the way for a meeting with Imran Khan.
On the other hand, Aleema Khan and other sisters of Imran Khan were also expected to visit Adiala for their meeting, as the Islamabad High Court in its earlier order had allowed family and lawyers to meet Imran every Tuesday.
Aleema announced a 10,000-strong protest outside the prison last Tuesday, but the demonstration did not materialise because barely 1,000 supporters turned up. The PTI leaders blamed NA Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who heads the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan alliance, for the failure — an allegation rejected by the alliance spokesperson.
‘Court misled’
The Adiala superintendent informed the Islamabad High Court that the counsel for the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi attempted to mislead the court regarding the signing of the power of attorney in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case.
In a response submitted to the IHC, the superintendent stated that the power of attorney was ready after being signed on June 16, and Barrister Salman Safdar was informed through a text message on the same day. A screenshot of the message has also been attached to the court submission.
“The lawyers of the founder and Bushra Bibi deliberately did not obtain the power of attorney before the hearing on June 18,” the response said.
It may be noted that the court has been repeatedly informed by the defence counsel that the power of attorney could not be obtained due to procedural delays. Barrister Safdar had sought adjournments on multiple occasions, citing his inability to meet his clients at the jail.
The IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, had earlier warned the defence counsel that if arguments were not presented at the next hearing, the court would proceed with the case based on available records.
Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, has lodged a formal complaint with the Punjab home department, alleging criminal negligence and inhuman treatment by jail staff toward her mother at the Adiala jail.
In a letter addressed to the provincial home secretary, Maneka said her mother, Bushra Bibi, had been suffering from a retinal disease that required surgery, but the jail staff ignored her complaints for weeks. According to the complaint, it was only in mid-April that the matter was communicated to the relevant jail authorities, leading to a medical examination and immediate surgery at Al Shifa Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.
The letter blamed a particular jail employee for negligence and also accused her of “consistently abusive, rude and disrespectful behaviour during routine jail interactions”. Maneka requested strict disciplinary action against the staff member and her removal from the present assignment involving control over her mother.
