LAHORE: The Lahore High Court was told on Thursday that former president Asif Ali Zardari had been allowed, as per jail rules, to meet PPP-Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira and other party leaders.

Additional Advocate General Arif Raja stated this during hearing of a petition by Mr Kaira against ‘undeclared’ ban on visiting Mr Zardari in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi.

He said the meeting had been fixed for Nov 18.

However, petitioner’s counsel Abid Saqi said the PPP leaders would not be able to meet on the given day due to a meeting of party’s central executive committee. At this, the court directed the jail authorities to reschedule the meeting for Nov 25 and disposed of the petition.

Mr Kaira had submitted that former president Zardari was detained at Adiala jail in connection with a NAB case.

However, he said, the jail officials were not allowing him and other party leaders to meet Mr Zardari despite several requests made to them.

He pleaded that a meeting could be held with any prisoner or under-trial prisoner as per prisons rules, but the officials were not granting the party leaders to visit Zardari.

Mr Kaira contended that the health condition of the former president was not good and the party was concerned about him. He asked the court to order the jail officials to permit a meeting with Mr Zardari as per the law.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2019