The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday allowed former prime minister Imran Khan to meet leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his lawyers at Adiala Jail, where he is presently incarcerated, to strategize for polls due on Feb. 8, 2024.
The order was issued by Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb on a petition filed by Khan seeking permission to meet various party members, including Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar Khan, Aurangzeb Khan and Dost Mohammad Khan, to discuss ticket allocations and evolve a strategy for the elections. The plea had also requested the court to instruct the superintendent of Adiala Jail to ensure privacy for Khan during his meetings with his legal team. However, the federal government had opposed the plea, arguing it was not maintainable.
In today’s proceedings, Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan represented the federation, while various PTI lawyers and the Adiala Jail superintendent also appeared before the IHC. PTI counsel Shoaib Shaheen commenced his arguments by noting the party needed to discuss the allotment of 700 tickets for the polls with Khan. When the AGP objected to the petition, Justice Aurangzeb rebuked him, asking: “Is the additional note from the Supreme Court insufficient for you? Do you want me to write a note against you as well?”
These remarks referred to an additional note penned by Justice Athar Minallah when a three-member bench of the Supreme Court granted Khan and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi bail in the cipher case. In the note, Justice Minallah had observed it was the Election Commission of Pakistan and the government’s duty to ensure a “level playing field” for a “genuine election,” adding there should be no perception of oppression or repression against any political party.
Observing that the AGP and advocate general, as representatives of the caretaker government, should be impartial, Justice Aurangzeb said it was a “terrible system” for the interim setup to bar consultation on elections. He further questioned if the caretakers wanted to “derail the polls.”
Subsequently, the IHC allowed PTI lawyers to hold consultations with Khan in jail and also permitted PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan to meet the former chairman under the supervision of the jail superintendent. “Permission for consultations on polls is a fundamental right,” Justice Aurangzeb remarked, emphasizing that the caretaker government should be “neutral” during elections.
“Opposing meetings between the PTI chairman and Khan raises questions on the neutrality of the interim set-up,” he added.
With just over five weeks remaining until general elections on Feb. 8, 2024, all parties are scrambling to allocate tickets to candidates ahead of the formal launch of the electoral campaign next month. Speaking with media earlier this week, PTI Chairman Gohar had maintained that all party tickets would be allocated as per Khan’s wishes.