KP CM Afridi barred from meeting Imran Khan despite IHC order

After obtaining permission from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reached the Adiala jail on Thursday to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, however, police stopped him at the Dahgal checkpoint.

CM Afridi, after securing court approval for the meeting today, went toward the Adiala jail but was intercepted by police at the checkpoint and denied further passage, Aaj News reported citing sources.

In protest against the police’s action, CM Afridi sat down on the road and began a demonstration, saying that he possessed the court’s written permission and that meeting his leader was his legal right.

Newly-elected KP CM barred from meeting party founder

A heavy contingent of police has been deployed at the site, while the situation is said to be tense but under control.

In a video shared by PTI on its Facebook page, the party’s secretary general, Barrister Salman Akram Raja said the jail administration had failed to implement IHC’s decision for the past seven months.

“The court’s orders have been thrown into the trash. What should actually happen is that the court summon those who defied its orders and punish them. They should be sent to jail — only then will others think twice before daring to disrespect a court order in the future,” he said.

Afridi had tried to meet his party’s jailed founding chairman on October 16 as well, but he was barred from holding a meeting despite prior intimation to the authorities.

Talking to reporters outside the Adiala jail, Afridi had said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated him on assuming office, for which he was thankful.

He had said he had taken up the matter of meeting arrangement with the prime minister, who assured him he would “inquire and get back,” but no response was received.

A day ago, “I informed both the Punjab and federal governments regarding the matter, but no one responded,” he had said.

He had added that all legal and political avenues had been exhausted, and that the PTI still had the option of peaceful protest.

On October 20, the IHC had removed the registrar office’s objections on KP CM Afridi’s petition seeking permission to meet Imran in the Adiala jail.

A single bench of Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard the petition, along with the objections raised by the registrar’s office, and issued notices to the federal secretary of the Interior Ministry, the secretary of the Punjab Home Department, the Inspector General of Punjab prisons, and the Superintendent of Central Prison Adiala, Rawalpindi.

After hearing the arguments, the IHC bench removed all objections and issued notices to the respondents, directing them to respond in this matter and deferred hearing of the case until October 23.