Islamabad:
Despite using unconventional methods, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has not been able to secure substantial relief from the overall courts.
So far, Imran Khan has written three letters to Chief Justices of Pakistan (CJPS) – one for the former CJP Qazi Faez Isa and two to the established, CJP Yahya Afridi.
CJP ISA refused to entertain Khan’s first letter about PTI’s complaints. During the hearing of the Nab -Law change case, Imran had asked ISA to compare the facilities delivered to him in prison with those awarded to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Isa had assured him that a focal person would be appointed to visit his Adiala prison cell, but no such visit was reported.
In February, Imran sent a letter to CJP Afridi. By commenting, Afridi said the letter raised questions that fell under Article 184 (2) of the Constitution.
Now through his sister Aleema Khan, Imran has sent another letter to CJP Afridi. PTI -Attorneys Latif Khosa and Intizaar Panjuta delivered the letter directly to CJP in his chamber and met him for more than 30 minutes. It is learned that CJP assured them that he would answer within 24 hours.
However, according to the new constitutional framework, CJP cannot directly invoke jurisdiction in accordance with Article 184 (2). 3. He can only forward such questions to the Constitutional Benches Committee, which has already decided that litigation of general interest will only continue with constitutional petitions – not on the basis of letters.
Previously, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa visited Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also visited the Supreme Court and sought permission to meet Khan in prison, but his endeavors remained unsuccessful. Aleema Khan also applied for a meeting with CJP Afridi on Thursday, but her request was rejected.
Imran’s latest letter appeals to CJP to “maintain oath in your office and show the people that the Supreme Court in Pakistan remains their last justice escape”.
The PTI founder describes his prison relationship and noted that he has now spent more than 772 days behind columns due to over 300 cases filed against him. He complains about being pronounced and says his sons can’t visit him or even talk to him on the phone.
He also raises concerns about the imprisonment of his wife, Bushra Bibi, and claims her “Only crime is that she is my wife.” He describes her isolation in prison and worsening of health and claims that her doctor is prevented from examining or treating her despite statutory provisions that give women special bailiffs.
A government report issued earlier this year contested these claims stating that Bushra Bibi is receiving regular health surveillance and access to a dedicated kitchen in prison.
Imran further criticizes the treatment of PTI workers arrested after the protests on May 9, highlighting the trials of civilians in military courts. He argues that many were “abducted, beaten and subjected to military litigation in obvious violation of constitutional protection.”
He quotes the 10-year judgment for his nephew lawyer Hassan Niazi as an example of what he calls it unprecedented victim of his family.
One of the most pointed parts of his letter is his objection to the 26th constitutional amendment which he claims has been used to “sacred election dacoity ”.
The change, adopted in October 2024, changed the appointment process for CJP and moved it from seniority to the nomination of a parliamentary committee. While the government defends it as a step to balancing powers, PTI notices it an attack on judicial independence.
Khan also criticizes the IHC High Hill Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and accuses him of deliberately having delayed hearings of his al-Qadir Trust and Toshakhana cases.
His letter adopts a dark tone when he remembers the Supreme Court’s judgment in 2024 on Zulficar Ali Bhutto’s case, which acknowledged that Bhutto had not received a fair trial: “Justice in his truly sense must be done in real time; Pyrrhic Justice occurs 44 years later.”
The letter concludes with its requirements: To allow telephone calls to his sons as required in prison rules, assign Bushra Bibi access to her doctor and restore Pakistan’s judiciary’s independence.
