• Accuses Adiala jail authorities and Punjab officials of defying court order
• Names federation, Punjab govt, jail administration as respondents

ISLAMABAD: Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Shah Faisal Utmankhel on Monday filed a contempt of court petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) over the non-compliance of a judicial order that directed authorities to allow KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to meet the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail.

The petition, filed by Advocate General Shah Faisal on behalf of CM Afridi, stated that despite a clear order from the IHC, the Adiala jail administration and relevant authorities failed to permit the meeting, thereby committing contempt of court. Before submitting the petition, Mr Faisal also completed biometric verification at the IHC registry.

According to the petition, “The refusal to implement the Islamabad High Court’s direction to allow the chief minister to meet the PTI founder constitutes deliberate disobedience and undermines the authority of the judiciary.” It requested the initiation of contempt proceedings against the officials and departments responsible for defying the court order.

The respondents named in the petition include the Federation of Pakistan, the Punjab government, the Adiala jail administration, and the Punjab home secretary. The petition also cited previous decisions of both the larger and division benches of the IHC concerning visitation rights and compliance with judicial directives.

The filing comes after Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was, for the second time since assuming office, denied a meeting with the PTI founder despite a court order explicitly allowing it.

Earlier, a three-member bench of the Islamabad High Court, headed by Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and comprising justices Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Muhammad Azam Khan, had suspended a single-bench ruling that struck down a clause in the Punjab Prison Rules barring prisoners from making political speeches. However, the larger bench directed the Adiala jail authorities to allow CM Afridi and other designated visitors to meet Imran Khan in accordance with the law and the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Despite this order, the Adiala jail administration reportedly stopped the KP chief minister’s convoy near the prison gates, prompting PTI leaders to stage a brief sit-in before returning without meeting the party founder.

In its earlier ruling, the IHC larger bench had heard multiple petitions concerning the enforcement of visitation rights and the suspension of restrictions on political expression during jail meetings.

The Punjab government, represented by Advocate General Amjad Pervez, had filed an intra-court appeal challenging the single-bench verdict that nullified the clause prohibiting political speeches by prisoners.

The provincial government argued that the restriction was essential for maintaining discipline and order in prisons. It contended that the single bench had declared the clause void without hearing the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) or the Advocate General Punjab — both of whom are mandatory respondents in cases concerning statutory provisions.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2025