Court withdraws objections, sends notices to concerned officials and orders responses by October 23
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREENSHOT
The Islamabad High Court has removed objections to the office and issued notices to all parties in response to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s petition seeking permission to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
The case was heard by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The court ordered the Home Secretary, Punjab Home Department Secretary, Inspector General of Police and Superintendent of Adiala Jail to submit their responses by October 23.
Lawyer Ali Bukhari represented the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister during the hearing.
Read: Sohail Afridi approaches CJP and IHC for meeting with Imran Khan
Afridi had written to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and filed the petition, stating that a meeting with Imran Khan was essential for consultation regarding cabinet formation and key administrative decisions.
The petition also mentioned that prior requests had already been made to the federal and state departments of Punjab.
Earlier, the registrar’s office had raised objections, arguing that the court had already entertained petitions regarding jail meetings with the PTI founder, with established procedures and standard operating protocols (SOPs) for such visits.
The registrar’s office also noted that PTI officials were authorized to prepare weekly meeting lists for the visits and the concerned party officials had not been named as respondents in the petition.
Representing Afridi, lawyer Ali Bukhari argued that these objections were invalid. He countered that the provincial cabinet had not yet been constituted, making the objection regarding cabinet approval irrelevant.
After hearing the arguments, the court withdrew all objections and issued notices to the officials concerned, directing them to respond by October 23. The rest of the procedure was adjourned until this date.
