Salman Akram Raja says Islamabad High Court has become a closed door for PTI founder’s legal team
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi delivers a video message on January 27, 2026.
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday attempted to speak at the podium of Chief Justice of Pakistan Sarfraz Dogar’s court, but the chief justice left for his chambers without hearing him.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Afridi said that as a meeting with Dogar was not possible through other channels, he tried to address him in open court. He approached the rostrum and saluted the chief justice, but his salute was not returned. After waiting for an hour and 15 minutes, the chief minister said he received no response.
Afridi said the aim of the visit was to demonstrate that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) does not engage in lawless protests or politics. “We want to declare that after exhausting all options, we are holding peaceful protests, which is our right,” he said.
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He added that a request was also submitted for medical examination of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan by doctors at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, but this request was not granted.
Senior Advocate and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, also speaking to the media, said efforts were on to ensure access to doctors and Imran’s family. He said the court had ordered two weekly meetings – one day for the lawyers and one for the family – and that during his appearance with Afridi, the prison director was instructed to organize the meeting.
However, despite taking place on the same day, the meeting was never organized. A motion for contempt of court was subsequently filed, but was not acted upon. When older contempt petitions were finally heard, Raja said, they were eliminated.
With the High Court failing to take any action on the violation of its own order, Raja said the matter was referred to the Supreme Court. The petitions filed for Imran’s medical examination could also not be entertained. “The Islamabad High Court is a closed door for us,” he said. “Here we can submit petitions, but they are not heard.”
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Raja referred to a separate case related to social media platform “I said that without a meeting, how can a reply be submitted in the name of the PTI founder? he said. He was not allowed to meet Imran, but the court proceeded nonetheless, ordering that a response be submitted and arguments presented without response.
Raja said every party had the right to present its position and Afridi, as the representative of 45 million people, had decided to come before the court and ask for exactly that. After the business was over, the chief minister tried to speak, but the chief justice got up and left, the chief secretary noted.
“We will also approach the Supreme Court from here. Imran Khan’s case will have to be fought by the nation and the people,” Raja said.
Meanwhile, a man was deprived of his mobile phone in the corridor of the High Court after recording a video of KP Chief Minister Afridi.
Police confiscated the mobile phone of a person accompanying the chief minister for filming his departure and deleted the video, according to details. After the video was deleted, the cell phone was returned to the person concerned.
