Jailed Imran Khan allowed to speak to his sons on phone

ISLAMABAD: A special court, established to hear cases filed under the Official Secrets Act, on Thursday granted permission to former premier Imran Khan to talk to his sons.

Khan, who is in judicial custody till September 13 in cipher case, has been incarcerated in Attock prisons since his arrest on August 05.

He was taken into custody and shifted to prison the same day after he was convicted by a trial court in the federal capital on graft charges.

On August 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief's sentence in the Toshakahana case. While he was in Attock jail, the special court sent him on judicial remand on August 16 which was then extended by another 14 days.

The PTI chief, through his lawyers Umair Niazi and Shiraz Ahmed filed a petition before Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain seeking permission to talk to his sons Qasim and Sulaiman on the telephone.

“I want to talk to my sons Qasim and Sulaiman Khan on the telephone or WhatsApp,” he pleaded, which was approved by the court.

The judge directed the Attock Jail officials to make arrangements for the father to speak to the sons over the phone.

It is important to note that during the government of Imran Khan in 2018, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif wasn’t allowed to speak to his ailing wife who was then battling with cancer in a London hospital.

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz passed away in September 2018 in the UK capital.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and other party leaders have mentioned this on multiple occasions, slamming the PTI government for this “cruelty”.