Imran | Pakistan

MARDAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday that he had conveyed a message to incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan, stating that he was ready to “be in Islamabad” — ostensibly to hold a power show in the federal capital. “I conveyed to him that I am ready, the nation is ready, Pakistanis are ready … If you give us the go-ahead, we will be in Islamabad the next day,” he told a charged crowd at a public gathering in Mardan. He said Imran had instructed to consult Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai as well, and he would be mindful of that. Turning his guns on the incumbent federal government, he said they had been unable to make Imran bow under the pressure of “baseless and fabricated cases”, filed against him and his spouse, Bushra Bibi. He accused the government of committing “cruelty and injustice” against Imran, his sisters and Bushra Bibi. Afridi decried that Imran and Bushra Bibi were being deprived of the right to get medi...

ISLAMABAD: Not a single PTI leader arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday to meet incarcerated ex-premier Imran Khan, despite the names of the party’s heavyweights being sent to the prison administration. The Islamabad High Court has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the ex-premier has been largely restricted from meeting visitors for several months. Party leaders have been facing severe criticism for the last few months as they usually nominate the second or third-tier leadership for meetings with Imran on Thursdays. Meanwhile, on Tuesdays, Imran’s sisters consistently reach Adiala jail in an effort to meet their brother, regardless of the fact that such a meeting has not been allowed in recent months. For Thursday’s meeting, the party had decided to include PTI heavyweights to curb the criticism being levied against the leadership. The list of names sent to Adiala jail Superintendent Sajid Baig, available with Dawn...

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Salman Safdar on Thursday met PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail, a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed authorities to arrange the meeting. However, the lawyer departed from the premises without sharing any details with the media. Meanwhile, PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said that Imran had directed the party to postpone its public meeting scheduled for Thursday (April 9) at Liaqat Bagh. He said that a message had been given by Imran that the protest should be postponed due to the prevailing national and international situation. “Imran Khan has said that he will himself inform about the new date of the protest,” he said. Later, Safdar said in a series of posts on X that he had meet Imran at 3pm, but the ex-premier’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, “was not called from her cell to join the attorney-client meeting for crucial instructions” despite requests and court orders. He said the meeting lasted for 60 minutes, during which Imran was comprehensively briefed on all ...

IHC orders lawyer's jail meeting with Imran

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: The PTI said on Tuesday that the sisters of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies as they attempted to stage a protest outside Adiala jail. The PTI had called for a “peaceful protest” outside the Adiala jail on Tuesday against the restrictions on meeting Imran. The party has also announced a protest in Rawalpindi on April 9 (Thursday), marking the day the former prime minister was ousted in a no-confidence motion in 2022. However, Section 144 was imposed in Rawalpindi under which gatherings were banned across the district for 15 days. Despite the imposition of Section 144 and the rainy weather in the twin cities, a large number of leaders and workers of PTI reached Adiala jail on Tuesday. PTI Core Committee member Seemabia Tahir told Dawn that party leaders, along with Imran’s three sisters, were stopped at DHA Chowk near Adiala jail. “Law enforcement agencies had already vacated a hotel in the vicinity; they arrested Noreen Niazi and U...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to facilitate a meeting between jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his lawyer regarding the £190 million corruption case. The instructions came as the court heard petitions filed by Imran and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of their sentences in the case. The bench also hinted at an early disposal of the couple’s main appeals against their conviction. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif conducted the hearing. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Senior Prosecutor Rafay Maqsood appeared before the court, while the PTI founder was represented by Barrister Salman Safdar. During the proceedings, the chief justice inquired about a hearing on the main appeals as miscellaneous applications seeking suspension of sentence were also pending. Barrister Safdar informed the court about the need to consult his client, to which the bench direct...

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Friday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking the urgent fixation of their appeals to set aside the conviction in the Toshakhana I case and to suspend the sentence in the £190 million corruption case, citing “inordinate delays” and “dilatory tactics” by the prosecution. On March 31, the IHC adjourned the hearing of the suspension of sentence applications filed by Imran and Bushra in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case after the defence counsel sought time to obtain fresh instructions from his clients. In a series of petitions filed under Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the couple has also requested that the court direct the jail authorities to facilitate unhindered meetings with their legal team for necessary consultations. The petitioners, in their appeal filed today, sought the early fixation of appeals of the couple against conviction for final adjudication. These appeals challenged the judgment de...

ISLAMABAD: Meetings with the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan continued to remain suspended on Thursday as authorities yet again stopped party leaders outside Adiala jail. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had previously given a list of six names to jail authorities for a meeting with Imran. The leaders included Seemabia Tahir, Haider Mehdi, Raja Saqib Ali, Jahangir Ahmed Butt, Malik Najam Khan and Muhammad Owais Qaiser. Talking to Dawn, Tahir, a member of the party’s core committee, said that the time slot for meetings was from 2pm to 4pm. She said that workers and leaders reached Adiala jail at 1:45pm. “At the Dhagil check post, we informed authorities that our names were included in the list and, as per orders of the apex court, we should be allowed to meet Imran. But we were not allowed to move ahead. We were left with no option, so we started protesting,” she said. “We remained there till 4:30pm and finally decided to return,” she said. Replying to a question, she said that it was unfortunate th...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday fixed the hearing for PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s petitions against their conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case on March 31. According to the cause list issued by the IHC registrar’s office, a division bench — comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif — will hear the pleas seeking suspension of Imran and his spouse’s sentences on March 31. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the £190m graft case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. At the last hearing of the case, held on March 11, the IHC imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for employing “delaying tactics” in the case. However, a later written order did not include any direction regarding the imposition of a fine. The court had directed the anti-graft body to come prepared on the ne...

Multiple PML-N supporters and media outlets on social media platform X have been sharing two videos since March 25, showing Kasim Khan, son of PTI founder Imran Khan, allegedly demanding the suspension of Pakistan’s status for the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade scheme. However, he made no such demand. The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false. Imran — imprisoned since 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case. Meanwhile, his party and family have alleged that he is being kept in solitary confinement — with a restriction on visitors being allowed to meet him in jail — and have repeatedly raised concerns over his medical treatment after it surfaced in January that he suffered an eye ailment. His sons have been campaigning for his release as well. According to the European Union, GSP+ status is a special incentive awarded to developing countries to “...

Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, raised his father’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Wednesday, saying that the former prime minister’s treatment by authorities was in violation of international human rights conventions. Imran — imprisoned since 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case. Meanwhile, his party and family have alleged that he is being kept in solitary confinement — with a restriction on visitors being allowed to meet him in jail — and have repeatedly raised concerns over his medical treatment after it surfaced in January that he suffered an eye ailment. At a UNHRC session, Kasim said Imran’s case was not an “isolated incident”. In fact, he claimed, it was the “most visible example of a much wider pattern of repression in Pakistan since 2022”. In this connection, he mentioned the detention of political prisoners, trial and conviction of civili...

ISLAMABAD: Sisters of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan were again not allowed to meet him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday, while his party termed the persistent denial of meetings with the ex-prime minister a “blatant violation of fundamental human and constitutional rights”. The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesday and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the ex-premier has not been largely restricted from meeting visitors for several weeks. His last meeting took place with his lawyer, Salman Safdar, on February 10, after the Supreme Court’s intervention following a long period of no visits being allowed. Speaking to the media outside the Adiala jail, one of Imran’s sisters, Aleema Khanum, said it was important to determine the cause of Imran’s medical issues, which have garnered attention in recent days. Concerns mounted after partial vision loss in Imran’s right eye was reported via Safdar after he met him. Doctors later confirmed that,...

Imran administered third dose of eye injection

PTI founder Imran Khan assailed the judiciary as his son, Kasim Khan, shared a message from his incarcerated father on the social media platform X on Sunday. The message came after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Imran would be allowed to speak to his children on Eidul Fitr. In a post on X on Sunday night, Kasim — who, along with his older brother Sulaiman, has repeatedly raised concerns about the ex-premier’s jail conditions — said he had spoken to Imran on Saturday, who had then asked for a message to be relayed. In the message shared by Kasim, Imran assailed the judiciary, saying that they had “sold their integrity”. “They know they cannot break me, so they turn to my wife. How they can allow this inhumane treatment to Bushra Bibi, simply to blackmail me?” he asked. According to Imran, Bushra Bibi was spending 24 hours in isolation, except for 30-minute meetings with him per week, adding that this was also often ignored. “It is anti-Islamic to harm women, children and the elderly — and their...

Jemima Goldsmith, the former spouse of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Thursday alleged that the government was reccomending that the former premier’s son travel to Pakistan on National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops) as they would have “no British protection”. She issued the statement on the social media platform X in response to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. On Wednesday, the minister said Imran’s children were welcome to visit Pakistan on Nicops, for which no visa was required, provided they “fully comply with the laws of Pakistan during their stay”. “We all know that the reason you are refusing their visas and recommending they travel on Nicop cards (which they don’t have presently) is because that way they will have no British protection if you choose to arrest them on arrival,” Jemima said on X. Kasim and his older brother Suleiman live in London with their mother and will have to travel to Pakistan to meet Imran, who is imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Tarar’s suggestion on We...

ISLAMABAD: PTI leaders on Thursday were yet again denied a meeting with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, who is imprisoned in Adiala jail. Speaking to Dawn, Advocate Niazullah Niazi said that as per directions of the court, PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja had shared a list of six persons with jail authorities for a meeting Imran. “We reached the jail and waited for approval but we did not receive any message from the jail administration that the meeting would be allowed,” he lamented. He said that during Ramazan, jail meetings were allowed till 3pm. “We waited there till 3:15pm and then decided to leave,” he said. “We also asked officials about the medical team, which visited Adiala jail on Wednesday and examined Imran, and demanded a medical report but we were informed that the report will be handed over to the Islamabad Chief Commissioner, who would then submit it to the court. We were told that we should approach the court to get the medical report,” Niazi said. Niazi said that he was the spo...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the children of incarcerated former premier Imran Khan were “welcome” to visit Pakistan on their National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop). He made the remarks on X, in response to a post by Imran’s former spouse, Jemima Goldsmith, who had appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the delay in issuing visas to his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman. “Imran Khan’s phone call will be arranged on Eid day with his children as done in the past as well,” the information minister said. “His children are welcome to visit Pakistan on their Nicop cards as Pakistani citizens for which no visa is required. However, they will fully comply with the laws of Pakistan during their stay,” he said. Kasim and his older brother Suleiman live in London with their mother and will have to travel to Pakistan to meet Imran, who is imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. In her appeal to PM Shehbaz on Monday, Jemima had stated, “My sons Sulaiman and Kasim Khan app...

ISLAMABAD/Lahore: Rejecting media reports that she is opposing meetings between Imran Khan and party leaders, Aleema Khan on Tuesday questioned how she could stop such meetings when she herself has been unable to meet her brother. “People across Pakistan are demanding the release of Imran Khan. The whole world is raising the same demand. Just wait and see — people will come out of their homes and secure his release. Moreover, as the global situation changes, I am hopeful he will be released,” Ms Khan said while talking to media persons outside Adiala jail. “We are waiting here to find out whether we will be allowed to meet Imran. I believe we will not be granted permission, as they want to hide his health condition and what has been done to him. We had requested the chief justice to allow his medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital. We do not insist on meetings if he is allowed proper medical treatment,” she added. She said the Chief Justice had forwarded the request for medical treatment to chief c...

ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Friday expressed grave concern over the deteriorating health of its founder Imran Khan and reiterated its demand for his immediate transfer to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for specialised medical treatment, saying that he was a former prime minister and the most popular leader. In a press conference, party stalwarts condemned what they described as the government’s “criminal negligence” with regard to Imran’s health and demanded the immediate transfer of the PTI founder to Shifa International Hospital for specialised medical treatment. They also called for his personal physicians to be provided immediate access to him and for unhindered meetings with his family members and the party leadership, warning that any further delay could have “serious consequences”. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, flanked by senior party leaders, criticised the federal government’s conduct on the matter, as well as what he called politically motivated cases against him. “The PTI fou...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the formation of a medical board in its verdict on a plea seeking the transfer of PTI founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment. A division bench, comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, presided over the hearing. IHC directed Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa to constitute a medical board and ordered that Dr Muhammad Arif and Dr Nadeem Qureshi be included. Dr Qureshi, who is a retina specialist from Rawalpindi’s Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, is also part of the medical board constituted on the orders of the Supreme Court. Dr Arif is the head of the ophthalmology department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. In its order, the court also directed the authorities to ensure Imran’s meetings with his lawyers and family. Dr Qureshi was instructed to remain in contact with Imran’s family over his medical treatment. The written verdict, a cop...