ISLAMABAD: The Sup­r­eme Court registrar’s off­i­ce on Wednesday returned a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Mini­ster Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur seeking permission to meet PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail for consultation on provincial matters.

The office cited legal lacunas, including the abs­e­nce of a duly signed pow­er of attorney, as the reason for rejecting the plea.

The petition was moved under Article 184(1) of the Constitution which grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction to hear disputes between two or more governments through declaratory judgements.

In his plea, the KP chief minister sought directives for the federal government to allow him to meet the PTI founder for consultation and guidance on matters relating to the governance of the province. The petition contended that Imran Khan has been “illegally detained” in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023.

The petition named the federal government through the interior ministry, Punjab chief secretary and Adiala Jail superintendent as respondents.

This was the KP chief minister’s second such attempt. Earlier, on June 25, Mr Gandapur had entered a court proceeding in the middle of a case to seek the urgent attention of senior puisne judge Syed Mansoor Ali Shah over what he described as being denied a meeting with Imran Khan for consultation on provincial budget.

According to media reports, the KP chief minister has not been allowed to meet the PTI founder for several months.

Mr Gandapur had also filed a similar petition before the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration that the respondents — the federal government, Punjab chief secretary and Adiala Jail superintendent — be directed to arrange his meetings with Imran Khan, arguing that denial of regular access to the PTI founder amounted to a violation of articles 9 and 10A of the Constitution.

The petition had requested the apex court to direct the respondents to ensure compliance with any judicial order regarding visitation rights, stressing that the chief minister’s role necessitated consultation with the party’s founding chairman.

It contended that the restriction on access undermined the democratic rights of PTI members and supporters, who represent over one-fourth of Pakistan’s population, adding that the failure of earlier petitions filed in the Islamabad High Court on the same subject underscored the urgency and necessity of the Supreme Court’s intervention.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025