Imran | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, on Tuesday said that the only acceptable “deal” would be the restoration of an independent judiciary and the holding of free and fair elections in the country, as authorities once again denied her a meeting with her brother. Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Aleema said it was their constitutional right to meet Imran. She vowed to continue visiting Adiala, saying it was the only way to exert pressure on the “powers that be”. “The family of Imran and party leaders will continue efforts for an independent judiciary and a free media,” she emphasised. Replying to a question regarding rumours of a meeting between the PTI founder and a former military chief, she rejected such claims, terming them politically motivated. “No such meeting has taken place, and such rumours are circulated whenever political temperatures rise.” Aleema said that she had earlier asked PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan about reports of a meeting with Interior...

ISLAMABAD: Mehmood Khan Achakzai, opposition Leader in the National Assembly and leader of the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), on Monday hinted that the opposition alliance might quit the assemblies if the government did not change its attitude towards former prime minister Imran Khan. Speaking on Dawn News programme “Doosra Rukh”, he said: “I fear that if the current attitude towards Imran Khan continues, we will not be able to stay in the assembly.” “What has he [Imran] done? Has he committed murders, as you are threatening that a 50-year prison sentence can be announced? He has only said that his snatched mandate should be returned to him. But you have been saying that a 50-year prison term can be announced.” “You want to try him in a military court. Tell me if he is a general or a colonel,” Achakzai said. “If the PTI’s central committee suggests quitting the assemblies in Punjab, Sindh and the Centre, and only running the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it will be implemented,” he said. He lam...

ISLAMABAD: After PTI leaders were denied a meeting with party founder Imran Khan yet another time on Thursday, MNA Ahad Ali Shah said it seemed his party would “now have to resort to agitation”. “We have reached a conclusion that the government will not arrange meeting with Imran Khan if the party remains peaceful. It seems that now we will have to resort to agitation as the government is not ready to listen to our peaceful requests and demands,” he said while speaking to Dawn. The Islamabad High Court has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where he is incarcerated since 2023. Despite the court order, the former premier has been restricted from meeting visitors for several weeks. On Wednesday, MNA Ahad Ali Shah posted on X that the PTI had submitted a list of six leaders, including him, to Adiala jail authorities for their meeting with Imran. He told Dawn that the leaders reached the Adiala jail around 1:...

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Wednesday assured the PTI leadership that its cases concerning access to a personal physician, family members and counsel representing the party’s founder and former premier, Imran Khan, would be fixed soon after the upcoming Eidul Azha. The assurance was given by the CJP during a meeting with PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, who was leading a brief sit-in outside the Supreme Court building soon after attending an Islamabad High Court (IHC) hearing in the £190 million corruption case against the Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi. Raja later told the media that the CJP had assured him that all petitions and applications relating to Imran would be scheduled for hearing after Eid falling on May 27. The PTI general secretary said he had informed the CJP about the pending appeal before the Supreme Court since October 2025 against the IHC order regarding permission to access Imran, who was incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Likewise, another ap...

ISLAMABAD: PTI on Wednesday finally agreed to sit with the government to resolve their differences, provided incarcerated PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan is released from jail. Previously, the party and its founder repeatedly refused to engage in dialogue, referring to the incumbent government as “thieves and dacoits” in public statements. “Let us sit together to jointly resolve our problems in an atmosphere in which Imran Khan is released from jail and Mian Sahib (PML-N President Nawaz Sharif) also comes forward for dialogue,” PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan said on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday. He said the NA opposition leader, Mehmood Achakzai, confirmed he had received an invitation from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “I asked Achakzai to go for dialogue. The entire PTI will support him so that the talk process will pave the way for political stability and resolution of our problems,” he said, adding that this may also lead to the release of Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, f...

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development in the £190 million case pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), counsel for incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi challenged the court’s order setting a deadline for concluding arguments in the appeals against their conviction. Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC. Earlier in May, the IHC rejected their petitions seeking the suspension of their sentences in the case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing. Barrister Salman Safdar filed two separate miscellaneous petitions on behalf of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, contending that the April 30...

ISLAMABAD: Party leaders were once again denied a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala jail on Tuesday as his sisters appealed to the public to gather in large numbers outside the jail to exert pressure on the government. All three sisters of Imran arrived at Adiala jail, as per routine, as Tuesday is the designated meeting day, but were told by law enforcement officials that they could not proceed. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Junaid Akbar, who is also president of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other leaders were present outside the jail. Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Aleema said she hoped a large number of people would soon gather there to exert pressure on the government, but she appeared disappointed by the meeting’s closing time. She said that it was unfortunate that the courts were not delivering justice. Noreen Khan, speaking to the media, said: “They believe they are not answerable to anyone. Imran Khan is the...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected the petitions of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing. A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will take up the central appeals on May 7. In view of this, the court declared the suspension applications infructuous. During the hearing on April 30, Justice Dogar had emphasised that the best course would be an early disposal of the main appeal. Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC. The case alle...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday fixed appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi against conviction in the £190 million corruption reference for tomorrow (April 30). According to the supplementary cause list issued by the registrar’s office, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif will take up Crl. Appeal 63/2025 (filed by Imran) and Crl. Appeal 64/2025 (filed by Bushra) on Thursday. Both appeals challenge the convictions under the Pakistan Penal Code with sentences exceeding seven years. The cause list mentioned that miscellaneous applications — including those seeking suspension of sentence along with objections — were also pending before the court. The development comes a day after the same bench, during the hearing of separate petitions seeking suspension of sentence in the £190m corruption reference, indicated a structured timeline for concluding arguments in the main appeals. Earlier this m...

ISLAMABAD: PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan received a fourth intravitreal anti-VEGF injection at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and was discharged on Tuesday morning, according to the hospital spokesperson. Imran last underwent the anti-VEGF intravitreal injection on March 23. His eye ailment — right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) — came to light in late January. His first medical procedure was carried out on January 24, and he was administered the second dose on Feb 24. According to the Pims spokesperson, Imran, 74, was brought to the hospital on April 28 for follow-up eye treatment, during which he received a fourth intravitreal injection. “Prior to the procedure, he was examined by the ophthalmologists and was found to be clinically stable,” the statement said, adding that Imran’s “optical coherence tomography was performed, which showed clinical improvement”. “After obtaining informed consent and under standard monitoring, adopting all standard precautionary meas...

ISLAMABAD: Amid murmurs of divisions within the PTI, not a single party leader arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday, one of two days on which former premier Imran Khan is allowed visitors. The Islamabad High Court has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the ex-premier has been largely restricted from meeting visitors for several months as the court’s directives have not been implemented. On Wednesday, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had sent a list of six leaders to the jail administration, as per the court orders, to meet Imran. PTI leaders Falak Naz Chitrali, Fazal Elahi, Ehtesham Khan, Sardar Ghulam Ali, Asghar Khan Lehri, Syed Naseebullah Agha and Chaudhry Javed Akhtar Gujjar were included in the list. However, on Thursday, none of the party leaders managed to reach Adiala jail till 4pm, the cutoff time for meeting with inmates. Speaking to Dawn, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said t...

MARDAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday that he had conveyed a message to incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan, stating that he was ready to “be in Islamabad” — ostensibly to hold a power show in the federal capital. “I conveyed to him that I am ready, the nation is ready, Pakistanis are ready … If you give us the go-ahead, we will be in Islamabad the next day,” he told a charged crowd at a public gathering in Mardan. He said Imran had instructed to consult Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai as well, and he would be mindful of that. Turning his guns on the incumbent federal government, he said they had been unable to make Imran bow under the pressure of “baseless and fabricated cases”, filed against him and his spouse, Bushra Bibi. He accused the government of committing “cruelty and injustice” against Imran, his sisters and Bushra Bibi. Afridi decried that Imran and Bushra Bibi were being deprived of the right to get medi...

ISLAMABAD: Not a single PTI leader arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday to meet incarcerated ex-premier Imran Khan, despite the names of the party’s heavyweights being sent to the prison administration. The Islamabad High Court has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the ex-premier has been largely restricted from meeting visitors for several months. Party leaders have been facing severe criticism for the last few months as they usually nominate the second or third-tier leadership for meetings with Imran on Thursdays. Meanwhile, on Tuesdays, Imran’s sisters consistently reach Adiala jail in an effort to meet their brother, regardless of the fact that such a meeting has not been allowed in recent months. For Thursday’s meeting, the party had decided to include PTI heavyweights to curb the criticism being levied against the leadership. The list of names sent to Adiala jail Superintendent Sajid Baig, available with Dawn...

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Salman Safdar on Thursday met PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail, a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed authorities to arrange the meeting. However, the lawyer departed from the premises without sharing any details with the media. Meanwhile, PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said that Imran had directed the party to postpone its public meeting scheduled for Thursday (April 9) at Liaqat Bagh. He said that a message had been given by Imran that the protest should be postponed due to the prevailing national and international situation. “Imran Khan has said that he will himself inform about the new date of the protest,” he said. Later, Safdar said in a series of posts on X that he had meet Imran at 3pm, but the ex-premier’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, “was not called from her cell to join the attorney-client meeting for crucial instructions” despite requests and court orders. He said the meeting lasted for 60 minutes, during which Imran was comprehensively briefed on all ...

IHC orders lawyer's jail meeting with Imran

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: The PTI said on Tuesday that the sisters of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies as they attempted to stage a protest outside Adiala jail. The PTI had called for a “peaceful protest” outside the Adiala jail on Tuesday against the restrictions on meeting Imran. The party has also announced a protest in Rawalpindi on April 9 (Thursday), marking the day the former prime minister was ousted in a no-confidence motion in 2022. However, Section 144 was imposed in Rawalpindi under which gatherings were banned across the district for 15 days. Despite the imposition of Section 144 and the rainy weather in the twin cities, a large number of leaders and workers of PTI reached Adiala jail on Tuesday. PTI Core Committee member Seemabia Tahir told Dawn that party leaders, along with Imran’s three sisters, were stopped at DHA Chowk near Adiala jail. “Law enforcement agencies had already vacated a hotel in the vicinity; they arrested Noreen Niazi and U...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to facilitate a meeting between jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his lawyer regarding the £190 million corruption case. The instructions came as the court heard petitions filed by Imran and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of their sentences in the case. The bench also hinted at an early disposal of the couple’s main appeals against their conviction. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif conducted the hearing. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Senior Prosecutor Rafay Maqsood appeared before the court, while the PTI founder was represented by Barrister Salman Safdar. During the proceedings, the chief justice inquired about a hearing on the main appeals as miscellaneous applications seeking suspension of sentence were also pending. Barrister Safdar informed the court about the need to consult his client, to which the bench direct...

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Friday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking the urgent fixation of their appeals to set aside the conviction in the Toshakhana I case and to suspend the sentence in the £190 million corruption case, citing “inordinate delays” and “dilatory tactics” by the prosecution. On March 31, the IHC adjourned the hearing of the suspension of sentence applications filed by Imran and Bushra in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case after the defence counsel sought time to obtain fresh instructions from his clients. In a series of petitions filed under Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the couple has also requested that the court direct the jail authorities to facilitate unhindered meetings with their legal team for necessary consultations. The petitioners, in their appeal filed today, sought the early fixation of appeals of the couple against conviction for final adjudication. These appeals challenged the judgment de...

ISLAMABAD: Meetings with the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan continued to remain suspended on Thursday as authorities yet again stopped party leaders outside Adiala jail. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had previously given a list of six names to jail authorities for a meeting with Imran. The leaders included Seemabia Tahir, Haider Mehdi, Raja Saqib Ali, Jahangir Ahmed Butt, Malik Najam Khan and Muhammad Owais Qaiser. Talking to Dawn, Tahir, a member of the party’s core committee, said that the time slot for meetings was from 2pm to 4pm. She said that workers and leaders reached Adiala jail at 1:45pm. “At the Dhagil check post, we informed authorities that our names were included in the list and, as per orders of the apex court, we should be allowed to meet Imran. But we were not allowed to move ahead. We were left with no option, so we started protesting,” she said. “We remained there till 4:30pm and finally decided to return,” she said. Replying to a question, she said that it was unfortunate th...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday fixed the hearing for PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s petitions against their conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case on March 31. According to the cause list issued by the IHC registrar’s office, a division bench — comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif — will hear the pleas seeking suspension of Imran and his spouse’s sentences on March 31. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the £190m graft case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. At the last hearing of the case, held on March 11, the IHC imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for employing “delaying tactics” in the case. However, a later written order did not include any direction regarding the imposition of a fine. The court had directed the anti-graft body to come prepared on the ne...