ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dir­ected the Adiala jail authorities to ensure that senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja is allowed to meet PTI fou­­nder Imran Khan, in connection with a case concerning a petition seeking a ban on anti-state content from being shared through the PTI founder’s social media account.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the directive while hearing a petition related to the X account operated in Imran Khan’s name. The court also instructed the Deputy Attorney General and the state counsel to immediately convey the order to the jail administration through a phone call.

A two-page written order was later released, directing the Addi­tional Attorney General to inform the Adiala jail superintendent about the court’s instructions.

During the hearing, Advocate Raja informed the court that des­pite repeated court orders over the past several months, he had not been allowed to meet his client. He argued that without consulting the PTI founder, he could not respond effectively to the petition. “I need to sit and take instructions from the founder of PTI,” he said.

Aleema vows to continue struggle for her brother even if jailed

Justice Arbab Tahir remarked that the court had already permitted such meetings and questioned whether the counsel had received the written order of the larger bench. Mr Raja said that although an application for the copy had been made, it was not provided.

The court then reiterated that the jail authorities must ensure the meeting takes place on Monday and that the order be communicated to the concerned officials without delay.

Aleema’s media talk

Following the proceedings, Mr Khan’s sister Aleema Khan spoke to the media outside the court, vowing to continue the legal and political struggle for the PTI founder’s rel­ea­­se. “We will keep fighting for Imran Khan. You may jail us, but we will not abandon this cause,” she said, adding that the authorities’ actions reflected “fear of Imran Khan.”

Advocate Raja, while talking to reporters, said a citizen had filed a petition seeking deletion of tweets attributed to the PTI founder and a ban on sharing “anti-state” content through his X account.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025