Meetings with PTI founder: IHC judge sends back contempt petitions to CJ for hearing by larger bench

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court’s Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas has sent the file back to the chief justice after the contempt petitions filed against the order of the larger bench regarding meetings with the PTI founder were mistakenly fixed for hearing before a single bench. 

The court observed that the report of the Registrar’s Office has come on record and this case has been wrongly fixed before the single bench.

Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the contempt of court petitions filed by Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Aleema Khan for not allowing meetings with the PTI founder despite the court order.

Salman Akram Raja, Advocate Ali Bukhari, Shoaib Shaheen and Latif Khosa appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioners. PTI founder’s sisters Aleema Khanum and Noreen Khan were also present in the courtroom. Shoaib Shaheen advocate read out the decision of the larger bench.

The court raised the question if a single bench can hear this case when this order was passed by the larger bench. Justice Inam Amin Minhas observed that if the order of the larger bench has been disrespected, then only they should hear it.

He observed that he would call a report from the office to see how this case came before single bench. The court after perusal of the report observed that this case was supposed to go to the larger bench, but it was mistakenly placed before the single bench.

PTI lawyers repeatedly requested the case be sent to the larger bench on Thursday. Justice Inam Amin Minhas observed that he would pass an order in the case and left the courtroom.

During the hearing, Salman Akram Raja said that when he goes to meet the PTI founder, the policemen stand with guns, and he is arrested. He said that sisters of the PTI founder have been meeting him from 2023 to 2025, but now there has been no meeting since March 20.

Ali Bukhari advocate said that if the lawyers, family members, friends do not meet the PTI founder, then what will happen to the court order? He said that their applications were not even scheduled for hearing. Aleema Khan came to the rostrum and said that orders of the court have been violated and asked the court to punish those who were violating the court orders.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz said that when we go to prison to meet the PTI founder according to the court order, we were ridiculed. He said that this was not his insult but that of the leader of the opposition.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said that when our vehicle goes to Adiala Jail, it has a state flag on it. The ASI tells us that on the orders of the colonel sitting in Adiala Jail, we will not let you go. He said that even Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was allowed to meet his family.

There has been an extraordinary development in the case of jail visits to the founder of the PTI, pending in the Islamabad High Court. A contempt of court petition has been filed by the superintendent of Adiala Jail against the PTI founder, Salman Akram Raja, Barrister Gohar, Intezar Panjutha.

The superintendent of Central Jail Adiala has taken the plea in the petition filed through Advocate Naveed Malik that the jail authorities were not properly informed about the meetings with the PTI founder as per the SOPs.

He submitted that various political figures put unnecessary pressure on the jail authorities to arrange a meeting with the founder.

He submitted that the political party has failed to establish discipline due to its internal grouping. He said Salman Akram Raja and other PTI leaders spoke to the media outside the jail in violation of the SOPs. After meeting the PTI founder in violation of the SOPs, they spoke to the media outside the jail.

He submitted that court had ordered that all the cases of meetings be placed before the same bench; however, despite the court order, an application to meet the PTI founder was filed before the Anti-Terrorism Court Rawalpindi and filing an application in any other court is a violation of the court order.

He said the PTI founder was previously an under-trial prisoner and is now a convicted prisoner. According to Rule 265 of the Prison Rules (Pakistan Prison Rules 1978), political discussions are prohibited. The petition requested that the court amend the SOPs for meetings due to the fact that the PTI founder is a convicted prisoner and contempt of court proceedings be taken against the PTI founder, Salman Akram Raja, Barrister Gohar and Intezar Panjutha.