Directing authorities to present former Prime Minister Imran Khan via video link today at 2 PM, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has Should the video link option be neglected, the court has directed Khan to be personally presented by 3 PM.
Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan earlier ordered the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to meet with Imran Khan and bring him into court. The court had earlier called the Adiala Jail Superintendent at 12 PM in relation to the matter involving PTI leader Mashal Yousafzai, who was denied a meeting with Imran Khan. The court requested the administrators of the jail to verify whether Mashal Yousafzai was representing the PTI founder.
The court underlined that harsh punishment would follow from neglecting the earlier decision decided upon during the last hearing.
Justice Khan said the jail officials seemed to have shown contempt of court and pointed out the court expected them to follow the directive.
Allegedly from Imran Khan, a list was provided to the court; but, the court voiced discontent with it and declared it might directly challenge the PTI founder. The court then called off the hearing to twelve PM.
The hearing continued following the break; the judge then decided that Imran Khan should be presented via video link at 2 PM. Should the video link be misaligned, the judge instructed Khan to be personally presented by 3 PM.
Islamabad’s Inspector General was directed to make sure the PTI founder presented in court had appropriate setup.
Advocate Shoaib Shaheen told the court during the hearing that political leaders had not been able to meet for the past five months.
The court also asked regarding the causes of the delay in setting the meeting between Mashal Yousafzai and Imran Khan. Although Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafur Anjum said he had been out of town, the judge asked why the meeting had not been scheduled last Friday.
Anjum said further that Mashal Yousafzai was not their attorney or focal point according to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
Emphasising that any non-compliance will result in legal repercussions, the court has instructed the jail officials to guarantee Imran Khan presents himself as per the directives either through a video link or in person.
