SC allows Barrister Salman Safdar to meet PTI founder at Adiala jail

Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday appointed Barrister Salman Safdar as a ‘friend of the court’ to independently assess and report on the conditions under which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan is being held at Adiala Jail.

At the beginning of the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi stressed that the court-appointed lawyer must be treated courteously during his visit and should not be made to wait outside the prison.

The CJP added that the court expected that Safdar would be granted respectful and unhindered access to Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, adding that his personal staff officer would be available to assist if any issue arose.

An SC bench comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan directed Salman Safdar to visit the jail and submit a written account detailing the PTI founder’s living conditions and the facilities provided to him.

The court further ordered that Safdar be allowed to enter Imran Khan’s jail barrack so the report could be prepared accurately. The bench instructed that the report be submitted by Wednesday and adjourned the proceedings until the day after tomorrow.

During the hearing, Safdar asked whether his mandate was limited solely to evaluating living conditions. He informed the court that based on a visual assessment, there were certain concerns related to the PTI founder’s health. In response, the chief justice directed that the report concerning living conditions be submitted in chambers.

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that a written response had already been submitted in chambers in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order dated August 24, 2023.

He explained that at the time the order was issued, Imran Khan was incarcerated at Attock Jail. The attorney general said the written report was submitted on August 28, 2023, along with medical reports covering the period from August 5 to August 18.

However, CJP Afridi observed that there was no subsequent order on record showing that the court had expressed satisfaction with the report submitted after the August 24 directive. The bench stated that it had full confidence in Salman Safdar and considered it appropriate to seek a fresh assessment, particularly as the PTI founder is now being held at a different jail.

Earlier in the proceedings, the chief justice stopped senior lawyer Latif Khosa from addressing the court. Later, Khosa again approached the rostrum and requested permission to meet his client. The SC declined the request and instead directed that Salman Safdar be allowed to visit Adiala Jail on the same day.

A day earlier, the apex court had dismissed an urgent plea by Imran Khan’s legal team seeking immediate permission for a meeting with the imprisoned former prime minister, while referring multiple related appeals to different benches.

The same division bench had taken up 13 cases, including appeals filed by the Punjab government challenging Imran Khan’s bail and another appeal against the bail granted to his wife, Bushra Bibi.

During that earlier hearing, the court rejected the request for an immediate meeting but issued a notice to the government on Khosa’s application.

CJP Afridi observed that no order could be passed without first issuing notice to the other party. He also noted that several related matters were pending before different courts and remarked that the case appeared to have lost its relevance, as it arose from the August 24, 2023 order. He said the court would first decide whether the petition was maintainable or had become infructuous.

Meanwhile, the top court also ordered the constitution of a three-member bench to hear appeals against the acquittal of Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

The meeting is expected to take place around 2:00pm, though it has not yet been decided whether Safdar will be permitted to inspect the entire jail compound where Imran Khan is housed.