IHC orders authorities to arrange Imran Khan’s meeting with lawyer

Lawyer Salman Safdar cited a March 31 court order and sought approval to meet Imran Khan after which IHC bench granted permission for meeting

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-April 7^th, 2026) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed prison authorities to facilitate a meeting between incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his counsel Barrister Salman Safdar at 2pm on Wednesday.

The directive came as a continuation of earlier proceedings in which the court had appointed Barrister Safdar as amicus curiae. Following a previous jail visit, he had informed the court that Imran Khan was experiencing severe vision impairment in one eye.

A IHC division bench led by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and comprising Justice Muhammad Asif took up the petitions related to the £190 million case as well as applications seeking suspension of sentences of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors Javed Ashraf and Rafi Maqsood appeared before the court, while Barrister Safdar represented the PTI founder.

At the outset of the hearing, the bench was told that the case could not be taken up a day earlier due to the unavailability of judges. The court then resumed proceedings, taking up both the main petitions and related miscellaneous applications, including requests for early hearing of Bushra Bibi’s plea and permission for a meeting between the lawyer and his client.

During the hearing, Salman Safdar cited a March 31 court order and sought approval to meet Imran Khan.

The bench granted permission and instructed jail officials to make the necessary arrangements.

The chief justice asked the counsel to propose a time for the meeting, to which Safdar suggested 2pm. The court accepted the request and issued formal directions accordingly.

Barrister Safdar also urged the bench to take up applications seeking suspension of sentences. However, the chief justice advised him to first meet his client, after which the court would fix a schedule for hearing the appeals. He indicated that the appeals could be heard on two days each week.

The counsel stated that he wished to consult his client before proceeding further and also requested early disposal of Bushra Bibi’s application for sentence suspension.

The bench hinted at expediting the process, observing that once arguments begin, the appeals could be decided within a short timeframe.

Imran Khan has been in custody since August 2023 in connection with multiple cases, including corruption and terrorism charges, following his removal from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.

A medical report submitted to the Supreme Court by Barrister Safdar revealed that Imran Khan has been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition.

Last month, the IHC also directed the chief commissioner of Islamabad to form a medical board to evaluate his health.