Imran Allowed to Have One-on-One Meeting With Lawyers

The court mandated that Khan and his attorney might meet without the presence of jail security staff and that they were permitted to bring pencils and paper into Adiala Jail…reports Asian Lite News

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to meet alone with his attorneys in the absence of jail security staff on Monday, according to ARY News.

According to the details, the court dismissed the PTI founder’s motion after ordering the jail administration to let the lawyer see Imran Khan alone in accordance with the jail handbook.

The court mandated that Khan and his attorney might meet without the presence of jail security staff and that they were permitted to bring pencils and paper into Adiala Jail, according to ARY News.

Furthermore, the Islamabad High Court also approved the plea seeking a meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan and his political advisors.

Adiala Jail was the venue of a previous meeting between PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan and party founder Imran Khan, who was imprisoned by an anti-terrorism court. Later on, Omar Ayub asserted that he was prevented from meeting Imran Khan in Adiala Jail by the jail administration, reported ARY News.

It is important to note that Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, is presently being held in Adiala Jail on charges of Toshakhana, Cipher, and illegal nikah.

Following a no-confidence motion that resulted in his removal in April 2022, Imran Khan has been the target of several legal challenges.

In the meantime, the elections held on February 8 saw his party emerge as the largest group in the National Assembly.

Court accepts appeals for hearing

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has accepted the appeals of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and former Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi against their convictions in the cipher and Toshakhana cases, as reported by Dawn.

The court has requested the record related to the trial court proceedings by March 7.

Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in jail in the cipher case by a special court, while in the Toshakhana reference, Imran Khan and his spouse received 14 years jail term each.

According to Dawn, the division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard both appeals.

Barrister Syed Ali Zafar and Barrister Salman Safdar represented Imran Khan in the cipher case.

Barrister Safdar argued that there were serious anomalies in the procedure adopted to convict the PTI leaders in the cipher case. He highlighted that the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) bypassed the law and deprived Imran Khan and Mehmood Qureshi of remedies available in law for their defense, as per Dawn.

According to the appeal, the arrest of Imran Khan and the hearing for remand took place in the “most objectionable, clandestine, and secretive manner” on Aug 16 last year. The prosecution did not share the complete record, and the judge indicted the PTI leaders hastily.

Despite the illegalities, the appeal mentioned, an IHC bench scrapped the proceeding twice. Yet Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain concluded the trial without complying with the mandatory procedural requirements, it claimed.

The appeal claimed that the ex-PM and his legal counsel “extended all the cooperation” to the trial court and did not seek unnecessary adjournment. But the judge did not ensure a fair trial, as “the proceedings were hurried through by the court in breakneck speed for reasons known only to the court itself”. It argued that the trial was “concluded in less than 20 days”.

While one of the defense counsel could not appear before the court as he had to rush to Lahore for dental surgery, the court-appointed state counsel for Imran Khan and Mehmood Qureshi despite strong objections by the PTI leaders.

Both leaders requested the court to make a call to their lead counsel to seek his assistance during cross-examination, but the trial court refused to wait for him.

The appeal claimed that the cipher case trial was then shifted to a “secret room” and concluded within a very short span of time. (ANI)

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