Sohail Afridi slams ‘rule of the jungle’, where courts cannot enforce orders, and makes sure to meet imprisoned Imran
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived at the Islamabad High Court on Friday morning after a 15-hour sit-in outside Adiala jail, only to be told that Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar had refused to meet him. “We have received a message from the chief justice that he cannot meet us,” Afridi told the media.
The sit-in was organized to protest the repeated refusal to meet incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite court orders.
Afridi said he had exhausted all options. “I have exhausted all constitutional and legal avenues. Despite yesterday’s court order, neither the other leaders nor I have been allowed to meet with the founder.” He warned that if the courts failed to enforce their orders, “the country would fall into the jungle.”
PTI leaders are actively seeking permission to meet Imran and are seeking to implement numerous IHC orders allowing such meetings.
Afridi was accompanied by KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, lawyer Ali Bukhari and Aleema Khan. They headed towards the chief justice’s office but were turned away.
Read: PTI demands meeting with Imran Khan, citing health concerns
The KP advocate general confirmed to the media that Justice Dogar had refused the meeting. “The chief justice does not meet with anyone; he has not met with the attorney general or any lawyer.”
The PTI announced that it would not allow the National Assembly or Senate to continue its sessions until its demands were met. “Next Tuesday, we will gather in front of the High Court as well as in front of Adiala jail,” Afridi said.
The dispute has widened the rift between the PTI and the government over Imran’s conditions of detention.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry insisted on Thursday that Imran was receiving meetings strictly in accordance with the prison manual, with weekly slots designated for family and legal representatives. He said no officer would risk violating court-ordered supervision.
Learn more: Imran’s sisters end Adiala Road sit-in after negotiations with police
Chaudhry detailed the facilities provided to the former prime minister, including chicken meals, an exercise machine, six large barracks, a television, a physiotherapist and a personal cook. He argued that such equipment fell within permissible limits and did not reflect any violation of the rules.
The minister criticized what he called unnecessary protests outside the prison, saying a small group usually held sit-ins despite knowing the meetings were taking place under court supervision. He said recent by-election defeats showed a decline in public support for such protests.
PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar rejected Chaudhry’s remarks, saying the facilities were irrelevant and demanding a firm date for the next meeting. He refused to present a committee report until the matter was resolved, leading to the adjournment of the Senate session until Friday.
Imran has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence for corruption. His party says prolonged solitary confinement violates prison rules. Online campaigns pushed the hashtag “WHEREISIMRANKHAN”.
Speculation about Imran’s possible transfer to a more restrictive facility has circulated in local media. However, a senior prison official told Reuters the ex-prime minister was in good health and no moves were planned. The official declined to be named due to protocol.
