Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan on Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, apprising him about the injustices the former prime minister, his family members and his party workers and leaders faced.
The letter dated September 16 was addressed to the chief justice with the subject “Denial of justice and fundamental rights — a call to the Supreme Court of Pakistan”.
“I write to you from a distance of only 31 kilometres from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but its doors of justice remain closed to me and my wife. For over 772 days, from a cage measuring 9x11, a dungeon of enforced silence, isolation and incommunicado, I have endured continuous solitary confinement.
“Facing over 300 unceasing, fatuous and preposterous politically motivated cases, Pakistan has never witnessed what is being done to me, my family, and my supporters across the globe. All access to newspapers, books has been denied to me. Meetings with my lawyers and family are arbitrarily cancelled….”
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The development has come at a time when Imran, his relatives and party members are facing scores of cases, particularly for their alleged involvement in May 9, 2023’s violent episodes.
Imran said his sons were deprived of the right to speak to their father on the phone and political workers were not allowed to see him at all. He claimed his imprisonment had not been lawful since its inception. “It is only calculated psychological torture, crafted to break my will and through me, the spirit of 251 million Pakistanis. It is an ongoing assault on the Constitution, the rule of law, and the democratic future of my beloved homeland, Pakistan,” he wrote.
The PTI’s patron-in-chief said his wife, Bushra Bibi, endlessly, yet patiently endured inhumane and degrading treatment at the jail. “She remains in solitary confinement, deprived of medical treatment, denied access to television, no books, no connection to the outside world. Her health continues to deteriorate, yet her doctor is barred from examining her, let alone provide her any treatment. Pakistani law expressly grants women special concessions for bail, solely owing to their gender,” maintained.
He said all her legal rights were stripped away only because she was his wife. They tried to demolish her willpower, but don’t understand the magnitude of the strength she carried owing to her faith, he added.
The former PM also spoke about his supporters and party workers who continue to languish in jails across Pakistan.
“Many were abducted, beaten, and subjected to military trials in flagrant violation of constitutional protections,” he said.
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He spoke up about the hardships faced by his family members as well. “Barrister Hassan Niazi, was picked up by military authorities, subjected to inhuman treatment, and handed down a grotesque 10-year sentence for being my nephew. My sisters were unjustly imprisoned; my nephews Shahrez and Shershah have faced unjust imprisonment. This unprecedented victimisation of my family is without parallel in Pakistan’s history. Courts that should stand as the guardians of liberty have been weaponised to dismantle Pakistan’s largest political party,” he said.
Despite his imprisonment and different tactics to suppress the voices, the PTI “secured a landslide victory” in the February 8, 2024 elections, he said, adding that yet, the mandate of the people was stolen overnight, turning democracy into farce and the Constitution into a casualty.
“The same has been sanctioned and rubber stamped by the leaked report of Commonwealth 2024. The so-called 26th Constitutional Amendment has been used as a tool to sanctify this electoral dacoity, while Petitions challenging it lie unheard in your court.”
Moreover, Imran criticised the Islamabad High Court chief justice for not hearing his petitions in the Al-Qadir Trust and Toshakhana cases.
“I urge you to direct the chief justice of Islamabad High Court to fix critical petitions which have been hanging in the doldrums,” he wrote.
The PTI founding chairman said the late decision of the apex court in the reference of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stood as a tragic reminder. Bhutto was hanged in a prison in Rawalpindi on April 4, 1979, whereas the Supreme Court held in 2024 that fair trial and due process requirements were not met, he added. “Justice in its truest sense must happen in real time, pyrrhic justice occurs 44 years later,” he said.
He request the chief justice that hearings of his petitions pending before all courts should be held immediately. He also sought permission for telephonic calls to his sons as mandated by the jail manual.
“Grant access to Bushra Bibi’s doctor for her medical treatment, and ultimately restore judicial independence of the judiciary in Pakistan,” he stated.
“The courage of the verdicts you inscribe in the book of this nation’s destiny will go down in history. Today Pakistan stands at a defining moment. I urge Your Lordship to uphold the oath of your office and show the people that the Supreme Court of Pakistan remains their final refuge of justice.”
Leaders and supporters of embattled PTI have been facing different charges in numerous cases related to the May 9 violent protests and clashes that broke out across Pakistan in 2023.
The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their party chief’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.
Imran, who has been in prison since 2023 facing charges of corruption, land fraud and disclosure of official secrets, is being tried separately on similar charges related to the riots.
The former PM’s family members have also faced legal battles, with his two nephews recently being imprisoned for their alleged involvement in the May 9 incidents.