Imran asks CJP Afridi to allow communication with children, pleads Bushra Bibi case
Islamabad
PTI leader Sardar Latif Khosa handed a letter from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Thursday and raised concerns over ongoing cases, prison conditions, and judicial practices, said Latif Khosa.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Khosa said the CJP “listened calmly” as he detailed the lack of hearings in PTI-related cases and the “bulldozing” of trials. He described the PTI founder as being held in a 9-by-11-foot cell and said both the founder and his wife were facing hardships in jail.
Khosa said he informed the CJP about restrictions on private meetings with family members and shared input on prison reforms, noting that the PTI founder was asked to provide written suggestions.
The chief justice, he added, pledged to create a uniform policy on prison conditions and affirmed his oath to uphold fundamental rights.
Khosa also criticised invasive searches of lawyers at courts and described “turmoil” in the high court. He said he reminded the chief justice that, as the “father of the judiciary,” he must fulfil his responsibilities within constitutional limits.
Earlier in the day, Aleema Khan entered the Supreme Court (SC) carrying a letter from PTI’s imprisoned founder. “We want to deliver the PTI founder’s letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” said lawyer Latif Khosa. Police stopped her, stating that permission was required to proceed beyond that point—permission Imran Khan’s sisters did not have.
The letter was a plea to the chief Justice, an appeal to “uphold the oath of your office and show the people that the Supreme Court of Pakistan remains their final refuge of justice.”
Imran details the conditions in which he has now spent over 772 days, due to over 300 cases filed against him. His first grievance is the way he has been ostracised, mentioning how his sons can not visit him or speak to him on the phone.
He voices his concerns regarding the imprisonment of his wife, Bushra Bibi, claiming that her only crime is that “she’s my wife.” Khan details the solitary circumstances of Bushra Bibi’s imprisonment, how all verticals of communications have been stripped from her.
The deteriorating nature of her health is brought forth, and the injustice that surrounds it. “Her doctor is barred from examining her, let alone providing her any treatment. Pakistani law expressly grants women special concessions for bail, solely owing to their gender.”
Multiple reports have contested the nature of Bushra Bibi’s complaints. A report was released in April of this year detailing the jail conditions of Bushra Bibi’s imprisonment. The report stated that Bushra Bibi receives regular health monitoring and has access to a dedicated kitchen space within the jail.
