The Supreme Court said that as a constitutional body under Article 175 of the Constitution, it must have autonomy to conceive, design and approve infrastructure projects in accordance with its institutional requirements. Photo: Online
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed lawyer Salman Safdar as a friend of the court to file a report on the living conditions and health of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Adiala jail.
At the beginning of the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi said that Safdar should be treated with respect and not be made to wait outside the jail. “It is expected that our friend of the court will access the PTI founder in Adiala jail with due respect,” the chief justice said.
He added that if the friend of the court faced difficulties, his personal staff officer would be available to assist.
The bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, directed Salman Safdar to visit Adiala jail and submit a written report on the PTI founder’s living conditions and available facilities. The court also ordered that Safdar be given access to the PTI founder’s prison barracks so that he could prepare the report.
Read: SC immediately rejects Imran council meeting
The court ordered the friend of the court to submit the report by Wednesday and adjourned the hearing until the day after tomorrow.
During the proceedings, Salman asked Safdar if the scope of his report was limited to living conditions only. He told the court that “after a physical eye examination, there are some concerns regarding the PTI founder’s health”.
In response, the Chief Justice ordered that the living conditions report be filed in chambers.
Advocate General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that as per the August 24, 2023 order, a written reply had already been filed in the chambers. He said that at the time the order was passed, the PTI founder was lodged in Attock jail.
Read more: PTI is planning a long march after Eid to secure Imran Khan’s release
“We submitted the written report in chambers on August 28, 2023,” the state attorney said, adding that medical reports from August 5 to August 18 were also attached.
However, the Chief Justice observed that after the order of 24 August 2023, “there is no order with which this Court has expressed satisfaction”.
The court said it had full confidence in Salman Safdar and saw fit to seek a fresh report on the PTI founder’s living conditions as he is now detained in another jail.
Earlier in the hearing, the Chief Justice stopped senior advocate Latif Khosa from speaking in the court. At the end of the case, Khosa again approached the rostrum and asked for permission to meet his client.
The Supreme Court rejected Khosa’s plea and ordered that Salman Safdar be allowed to visit Adiala jail on the same day.
A day earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected an urgent plea by Imran Khan’s lawyer to allow an immediate meeting with the jailed former prime minister while referring several appeals related to the PTI founder to different benches.
The same division had heard 13 cases, including appeals by the Punjab government against Imran Khan’s bail and an appeal against the grant of bail to his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Read also: Supreme Court refers PTI memo on Imran Khan jail access to ‘executive authorities’
During that hearing, the court denied the request for an immediate meeting, but issued a notice to the government on Khosa’s application for permission to meet his client.
CJP Afridi had observed that no order could be passed without issuing notice to the other party and said the court would first decide on objections regarding the maintainability of the petition. Noting that several related cases were pending in other courts, he noted that the case appeared to have become fruitful as it stemmed from the August 24, 2023 order.
“We will first decide whether the case is barren or still maintainable,” the chief justice said.
Meanwhile, the court also directed the formation of a three-member bench to hear appeals against the acquittal of Imran Khan and PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
