Supreme Court Seeks Detailed Report on Imran Khan Jail Meetings, Adjourns Contempt Case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the federal and Punjab governments to submit a comprehensive report within three weeks in a case concerning the alleged non-compliance with court orders regarding prison meetings with former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the alleged contempt of court case. During the hearing, the federal and Punjab governments requested additional time to prepare a detailed report, stating that more than 100 PTI-related petitions concerning the issue were currently under consideration.

The court accepted the request and instructed the governments to submit a complete report within three weeks before adjourning the proceedings indefinitely.

During the hearing, Additional Advocate General Punjab Waseem Mumtaz raised objections over the maintainability of some petitions, arguing that an appeal could not be filed against what he described as a unanimous order of the Islamabad High Court.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar directed the authorities to specify how many meetings with Imran Khan had taken place, when they were held, and to what extent the court’s previous orders had been implemented. He emphasized that the court required a comprehensive report on the matter.

The judge also observed that the Islamabad High Court had been assured that no media interaction would take place outside the prison following the meetings. However, he questioned whether subsequent media talks by visitors amounted to a violation of that assurance.

PTI founder’s counsel, Salman Akram Raja, argued that the Islamabad High Court’s order was not unanimous and therefore an appeal had been filed. Justice Mazhar remarked that if the order had not been unanimous, a review petition could have been filed before the High Court, adding that there was also a proper legal forum available for filing an appeal.

Raja maintained that the High Court had incorrectly incorporated the parties’ alleged consensus into its order, making an appeal necessary.

After hearing arguments from all parties, the Supreme Court directed the federal and Punjab governments to submit a detailed report within three weeks and adjourned the case for an indefinite period.