IHC orders lawyer's jail meeting with Imran

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has, on Tuesday, directed that Barrister Salman Safdar be permitted to visit former PM Imran Khan at Adiala Jail at 2pm today Wednesday, regarding the £190 million corruption case.

The two-member division bench consisting of IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard applications by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi related to their conviction in the corruption case along with an application seeking stay in execution of their sentence and some other miscellaneous applications.

Some of the applications sought a jail meeting with Imran Khan to take legal advice from him while the second application sought early hearing of the application for suspension by Bushra Bibi.

The counsel for PTI founder Imran Khan was Barrister Salman Safdar whereas NAB special prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Rafi Maqsood appeared for the prosecution.

The chief justice, at the very outset of the proceedings, allowed a jail visit with the PTI founder. Counsel requested for a visit at 2pm which was agreed to by the court.

Moreover, he also requested the court to first consider Bushra Bibi’s suspension appeal. The chief justice replied that the appeal hearings could also be scheduled and be considered twice a week.

It is also mentioned by Justice Dogar that if the arguments started then the court will be able to dispose of the case in seven days.

But Safdar requested the court not to hear these appeals until he meets his client first and then assists the court. He again mentioned that Bushra Bibi’s suspension appeal could be decided first.

It was directed to the jail authorities to make sure about the meeting at 2 pm and court adjourned the hearing until Thursday, 9th April.

In the course of the proceedings, the special prosecutor requested the court to fix the hearing for Monday. But the chief justice mentioned that the court fixes the case according to its availability, and thus cannot assure it beforehand.