ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday reserved its judgment, observing that it would pass an appropriate order in an appeal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman seeking his shifting from the District Jail Attock to the Central Jail Adiala.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from respondents in the said case. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice remarked that the petitioner was of the view that the trial court had sent him to the Adiala Jail but he was lodged in the Attock Jail.
Assistant Advocate General Punjab Rao Shaukat produced the notification regarding shifting of the convict to the Attock Jail, saying reasons were mentioned about the action.
To the court’s query, he said that a lawyer of PTI chairman had already met him on August 7 to take his signatures on the power of attorney and other documents.
The court questioned whether a lawyer could meet his client only for his taking signatures on document. Rejecting the requests to visit the prisoner could fall under contempt of court, he added.
Rao Shaukat said the jail administration had permitted the lawyer to visit Imran Khan on August 7, but they reached late on August 8 and 9.
The petitioner’s counsel Sher Afzal Marawat argued that the lawyers were being humiliated in the matter of meeting their client.
The chief justice observed that the PTI chief was a former prime minister and leader of a big political party, and at the same time he was convicted, and “we have to move while keeping in mind all of this together”.
He said the court was viewing the matter deeply so such thing wouldn’t happen again. The PTI chairman should be provided facilities as per the rules, he added.
The chief justice said the court would pass an order pertaining to the provision of facilities to the PTI chief in prison and the permission to meet his lawyers. After this, the court reserved its verdict.
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