Salman Safdar refutes media reports, says no statement issued on Imran’s health

ISLAMABAD: Friend of the court Advocate Salman Safdar on Wednesday denied media reports attributing statements to him about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s health.

“I needed to speak to the media today, as yesterday false news was attributed to me,” Safdar told reporters. He clarified, “I did not make any statement regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s health,” adding, “the three-hour meeting was misreported.”

A day earlier, briefly interacting with media following his Supreme Court-ordered meeting with Imran, Safdar had said, “It is not appropriate [for me to talk] until I submit the report.” However, he assured that the meeting had taken place and there was full access. When questioned about the PTI founder’s health, he reportedly responded: “Fine. Rest you should see in the report.”

He further clarified that he did not provide Aleema Khan or PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja any briefing regarding the meeting on Imran’s health. He said both Aleema and Raja reached an understanding that he could not speak to them about the report. “I requested them not to discuss anything related to the report,” Safdar said. “I did not tell them anything, and they respected my opinion.”

Briefing the media about Safdar’s meeting with Imran, she clarified that he was not allowed to speak on any subject. “After the meeting, Salman Safdar only told us that he had met Imran for two hours and that Imran is alright,” Aleema said.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court appointed Safdar as a friend of the court to submit a report on Imran’s living conditions at Adiala Jail. Safdar said he met with the PTI founder and also visited his cell as per the court’s orders.

The report itself, Safdar revealed today, consists of seven pages and 22 paragraphs, and has been submitted to the Supreme Court. “My first responsibility was to submit the report,” he said, stating that he has fulfilled his duty. He added that he praised Attorney General MansoorUsmanAwan in the report, and has also commended the administration of Adiala Jail.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) YahyaAfridi had said Safdar should be treated with respect and not be made to wait outside the jail. “It is expected that our friend of the court will be given access to the PTI founder at Adiala Jail with due respect,” the chief justice said. He added that if the friend of the court faced any difficulty, his personal staff officer would be available to assist.

The bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, directed Salman Safdar to visit Adiala Jail and submit a written report on the PTI founder’s living conditions and available facilities. The court also ordered that Safdar be given access to the PTI founder’s jail barrack so he could prepare the report. The court had directed Safdar to submit the report by Wednesday. Staff Report