• Omar Ayub says ex-PM not even permitted to speak to his children
• Party rejects claim jailed leader refused to meet Salman Akram Raja

ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Thursday severely criticised the Adiala Jail authorities after they barred party leaders once again from meeting ex-PM Imran Khan, in what the party called a violation of court orders.

Those who reached the Adiala Jail on Thursday included Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Senator Shibli Faraz, Aliya Hamza, Niazullah Niazi and others, but they had to return without a meeting.

The party alleged that the prison officials had made a mockery of law as they had violated the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which had directed the jail administration to allow PTI leaders and family members of Imran Khan to meet him on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Omar Ayub claimed that Imran Khan had himself finalised the list but they were not allowed to visit him. He said Imran Khan was also not being allowed to speak to his children and was not even allowed to offer Eid prayer.

The opposition leader said PTI had also tried to show solidarity with Akhtar Mengal by participating in the BNP-M march in Balochistan, but the provincial government did not allow the PTI delegation to do so.

It may be recalled that BNP-M has been holding a protest sit-in to press for the release of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other BYC leaders.

Senator Faraz also criticised the authorities concerned over non-implementation of court decisions.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram, while talking to Dawn, said that blocking meetings with Imran Khan was nothing but a mockery of the IHC’s orders.

“The fact is that the IHC made a larger bench and clubbed all petitions and then allowed us to meet Imran Khan on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” he said. It also stopped PTI leaders from talking outside the gate of Adiala Jail, but the jail superintendent refused to implement the IHC’s order.

If the court cannot get its order implemented by an employee of BPS-18 or 19, how can it address issues of general public, he asked.

Mr Akram alleged that jail officials were even issuing false statements as on the second day of Eid they claimed that Imran Khan had refused to meet Salman Akram Raja.

“We were shocked over the claim as how can the founding chairman refuse to meet his lawyer, party’s general secretary and his coordinator,” he said.

This impression was strengthened by Azam Swati’s remarks outside Adiala jail following his meeting with Mr Khan, where he said that he had assured the party founder of Mr Raja’s loyalty. “I kept on insisting for Raja sahib”, he had said, before adding that he had assured Imran Khan that Mr Raja was sincere with the party and was standing on principle.

Later that day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Barrister Muhammed Ali Saif also met Imran Khan, Mr Akram pointed out, adding that “they informed me that founding chairman never refused to meet Salman Akram Raja”.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2025