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A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear all 11 petitions filed by PTI leaders, including one by newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, regarding visitation to incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday. The bench aims to resolve ongoing controversies surrounding Khan's visitation rights, Dawn reported.
The IHC registrar's office has issued notices to the advocates general of Islamabad and Punjab, the Punjab prosecutor general, the Punjab inspector general of police, and the inspector general of prisons. The Women Medical Officer and Superintendent of Adiala Jail have also been summoned for the same date. The court is expected to address both visitation issues and the jurisdictional dispute over Adiala Jail between the Islamabad and Punjab administrations. On Monday, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the IHC overruled objections raised by the registrar's office on Chief Minister Afridi's petition seeking permission to meet Khan in jail. Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared on behalf of the petitioner, while the plea was filed through Advocate General Shah Faisal, Dawn reported. The petition requested court intervention to allow a meeting between the provincial chief executive and Khan to discuss governance matters and cabinet formation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The registrar's office had earlier objected, noting that similar petitions had already been decided and that a prescribed procedure existed for such visits. However, Advocate Bukhari argued that "fresh legal grounds" existed, since the cabinet had not yet been constituted and consultation with Khan was essential for administrative functioning. Justice Tahir, after hearing the arguments, dismissed the objections and issued notices to the interior secretary, inspector general of police, and Superintendent Adiala Jail, directing them to submit their replies by October 23. Earlier, on March 25, a three-judge larger bench of the IHC, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Mohammad Azam Khan, had reinstated the twice-a-week visitation schedule for Khan while barring visitors from issuing media statements after meetings. The bench had ruled that only individuals approved by Khan's coordinator, Salman Akram Raja, could meet him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and advised the PTI founder to approach the trial court for permission to speak to his children via telephone. The IHC administration has now fixed the matter before the same bench to consolidate and hear all petitions concerning Khan's visitation rights and jail conditions, Dawn reported. (ANI)
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