Sohail Afridi lambasts ‘rule of the jungle’ where courts cannot enforce orders, ensure meeting with jailed Imran
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reached the Islamabad High Court on Friday morning after a 15-hour sit-in outside Adiala Jail, only to be told that Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar had refused to meet him. “We received a message from the Chief Justice stating that he cannot meet us,” Afridi told the media.
The sit-in was staged to protest repeated denial of meetings with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, despite court orders.
Afridi said he had exhausted all options. “I have exhausted all constitutional and legal avenues. Despite yesterday’s court order, neither the other leaders nor I were allowed to meet the founder.” He warned that if courts could not enforce their orders, “the country will fall into the rule of the jungle”.
PTI leadership is actively pursuing permission to meet Imran and seeking implementation of numerous IHC orders that allowed such meetings.
Afridi was accompanied by K-P Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, lawyer Ali Bukhari, and Aleema Khan. They headed toward the Chief Justice’s office but were turned away.
Read: PTI demands meeting with Imran Khan, citing health worries
The K-P Advocate General confirmed to the media that Justice Dogar had refused the meeting. “The Chief Justice is not meeting anyone; he has not met the Advocate General or any lawyer.”
PTI has announced it will not allow the National Assembly or Senate to proceed with sessions until its demands are met. “Next Tuesday, we will gather outside the High Court as well as outside Adiala Jail,” Afridi said.
The dispute has widened the rift between PTI and the government over Imran’s detention conditions.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry insisted on Thursday that Imran was receiving meetings strictly according to the jail manual, with designated weekly slots for family and legal representatives. He said no officer would risk violating court-mandated oversight.
Read more: Imran’s sisters end Adiala Road sit-in after police negotiations
Chaudhry detailed the facilities provided to the former premier, including chicken meals, an exercise machine, six large barracks, a television, a physiotherapist, and a personal cook. He argued these amenities fell within permissible limits and reflected no breach of rules.
The minister criticized what he called unnecessary protests outside the jail, saying a small group habitually staged sit-ins despite knowing meetings were being held under court supervision. He claimed recent by-election losses showed declining public backing for such demonstrations.
PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar rejected Chaudhry’s remarks, saying facilities were irrelevant and demanding a firm date for the next meeting. He refused to present a committee report until the matter was resolved, prompting the adjournment of the Senate session until Friday.
Imran has been incarcerated since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. His party says prolonged isolation violates prison rules. Online campaigns have pushed the hashtag “WHEREISIMRANKHAN”.
Speculation over Imran’s possible transfer to a more restrictive facility has circulated in local media. However, a senior jail official told Reuters the ex-premier was in good health and that no relocation had been planned. The official declined to be named due to protocol.
