• Registrar questions maintainability, saying a procedure for such requests already exists
• Justice Arbab Tahir to hear petition along with office’s objections on Monday

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has raised objections to a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi seeking permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir is scheduled to hear the petition, along with the registrar office’s objections, on Monday.

The petition was submitted by KP Advocate General Shah Faisal through Advocate Ali Bukhari on behalf of the provincial chief minister. The petition argued that a meeting with the PTI founder was essential to discuss matters pertaining to provincial governance and the formation of a new cabinet.

However, the IHC registrar’s office objected to the maintainability of the plea, noting that the court had already adjudicated similar matters and had laid down a procedure for seeking permission to meet the PTI founder. The office questioned how a new petition could be filed without following the prescribed process.

The move came after CM Afridi was denied a meeting with PTI founder at Adiala jail. Following the refusal, the KP government approached the IHC, naming the federal and Punjab interior secretaries, the inspector general of Punjab Police, and the superintendent of Adiala jail as respondents.

According to the petition, the KP government had earlier submitted formal requests to the federal interior ministry and the Punjab home department to allow the meeting, but no approval was granted. The plea maintained that consultation with the PTI founder was “legally and ethically necessary” for the chief minister in connection with key administrative and political decisions, including cabinet formation.

Advocate General Shah Faisal, who verified his biometrics at the IHC under a special power of attorney, told reporters that CM Afridi had personally attempted to meet the PTI founder but was denied access despite having sought the prime minister’s permission. He added that the chief minister also intended to raise the matter before the Chief Justice of Pakistan on the administrative side and might approach the Supreme Court if necessary.

PTI leader and counsel Ali Bukhari said the ban on political meetings, imposed on November 26 last year, was contrary to the Pakistan Prisons Rules and violated visitation rights. He argued that even court directions regarding such rights were being disregarded, asserting that “meetings with inmates are a right, not a privilege.”

The petition requested the court to direct the jail authorities to immediately allow a meeting between the KP chief minister and the PTI founder, and to issue guidelines for future consultations as part of routine governance communication. The IHC will take up the petition, along with objections, for hearing on Monday.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025