ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja met with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahyah Afridi, on Friday to protest the prolonged solitary confinement of the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been denied access to his family and party leaders for over 80 days.
According to sources, Raja presented PTI’s concerns over what the party claims is the “illegal, unconstitutional, and cruel” treatment of Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.The meeting followed a series of protests by PTI leaders, who gathered both outside the Supreme Court building and at Adiala Jail, demanding access to Khan and better medical care.
Raja informed the Chief Justice that Khan had recently been transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for treatment of an eye infection.
However, Raja said neither Khan’s family nor the party leadership were notified in advance about the transfer, a situation which he described as a violation of legal protocols.The PTI secretary-general also raised concerns about the refusal of jail authorities to allow Khan’s family and party officials to visit him.
He accused the authorities of contempt of court, citing an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order that mandated family access, which he said had been “flouted” by officials.
Sources close to the PTI indicated that the Chief Justice assured Raja he would take appropriate action within the bounds of the law.
However, independent confirmation of the meeting could not be obtained, as Raja could not be reached for comments about his meeting with the top judge.
The meeting came amid escalating protests, including a sit-in outside Adiala Jail, where PTI officials, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, demanded immediate access to Khan.
Protesters expressed alarm over the lack of transparency regarding Khan’s medical treatment, particularly after PTI learned that Khan was not allowed to undergo a medical check-up by doctors of his own choice despite a serious eye infection.
Speaking to reporters outside apex court building, Chief Minister Afridi accused the government of withholding information from Khan’s family and legal team, claiming that they were kept in the dark about his hospitalisation.
He further criticised the lack of retina specialists at PIMS, a crucial factor for treating Khan’s eye ailment.
“The government denied for five days that Khan had been moved for medical care, and now we find that PIMS does not have the necessary specialists,” Afridi said. “The law requires that family members be informed when an inmate is transferred to a hospital.”
PTI’s legal team, led by Raja, stressed that Khan had undergone surgery at PIMS, yet no information had been shared with his relatives, calling it a flagrant violation of procedural norms.
Senior PTI leader Latif Khosa appealed to the Chief Justice to intervene urgently, warning that Khan’s health could deteriorate further without proper treatment.
He also reiterated that Khan was a “red line” for the party, pledging that PTI would continue its protest until full transparency and accountability were ensured.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026