• Claims no petitions, filed by himself or his party over past 18 months, were taken up by SC
• Encloses hundreds of pages of 'evidence' of state high-handedness, calls on CJP to exercise his powers to end suppression of democracy'

ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan has complained that none of the several petitions, filed by him and his party, assailing violations of human rights and election laws, have been taken up by the Supreme Court over the past 18 months.

In letters addressed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and head of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench, Justice Aminuddin — released by his legal team on Thursday night — the PTI founder also slammed the government of the day for enacting laws to target his party.

Also attached with the letter is ‘evidence’ of the government’s high-handedness, including lists of party workers who had gone missing, were injured or killed by alleged state action.

The letter and its annexures, spanning hundreds of pages, include photographs, medical reports, court orders and petitions, press clippings and other relevant documents that the PTI leader believes substantiate his claims.

In the letter, he claims that 10,000 PTI supporters were arrested between Nov 24 and 27 last year, many in frivolous cases.

A list of 42 PTI workers, who were allegedly injured or killed during the operation to disperse protesters from Islamabad’s Red Zone is also attached, as well as a list of 75 people who were ‘disappeared’ for long periods of time.

Additionally, the PTI founder claimed that he was kept in solitary confinement from Oct 3 to Oct 25 last year, and was denied essential privileges and subjected to “degrading treatment”.

He also said that his meetings with his family and legal team were prohibited, under the pretext of security.

Mr Khan then named his party colleagues “suffering long periods of incarceration” including Mian Mahmudur Rashid, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema and Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

He criticised the alleged censorship of content favouring PTI on social and mainstream media and termed it a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution.

The PTI founding chairman also pointed out the alleged rigging in last year’s general elections and said the 26th Constitutional Amendment was brought to “undermine the judiciary”.

He also criticised the military trial of over 100 civilians, saying the Supreme Court had already declared such trials illegal.

The letter asks the chief justice to “exercise all powers vested in the Supreme Court” to end what he called the “terror and brutality by the state and the suppression of democracy”.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2025