PTI memorandum on Imran’s visitation rights conveyed to ‘relevant executive authorities’, says SC
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Saturday said PTI’s memorandum — requesting immediate jail visitation rights for party founder Imran Khan with his family, doctors, lawyers and friends — had been conveyed to the “relevant executive authorities” for appropriate consideration in accordance with law.
On Friday, the party members and parliamentarians, led by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, had submitted the memorandum to the SC registrar. The party had regretted in the memorandum to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi that Imran’s access to his family and lawyers was again denied on Tuesday, the day fixed by the court for meetings with his relatives and counsels.
In a press release issued on Saturday, the SC said that on January 30, the KP chief minister and PTI lawmakers gathered in front of the SC to convey their concerns about access to Imran.
“The registrar engaged with their representatives and assured that the concerns would be brought into the notice of the chief justice,” it said.
It went on to say that later that day, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja conveyed these concerns to the chief justice, but they were referred to the relevant authorities as the matter “did not directly pertain to proceedings pending before the SC”.
“In [the] absence of any communicated response for a week, the delegation, including opposition leaders in [the] Senate and the National Assembly, once again approached the Supreme Court on February 6, 2026, with a signed memorandum, which was formally received by the registrar,” the press release said.
It stated that concerns about access to the imprisoned PTI founder and the provision of his medical reports were once again conveyed to the relevant executive authorities.
“The SC, in order to address such eventualities in future, also issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for engaging aggrieved litigants,” it said.
“The SOPs emphasise ensuring accessibility, facilitation, and provision of necessary amenities, including emergency medical cover, without compromising institutional decorum, judicial functions, or the rights of access of other litigants,” the press release said.
According to the two-page memorandum, the former premier has been incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Central Jail since Aug 5, 2023. During this period, his rights as a prisoner and a human being have been consistently violated, it alleged.
He had been denied visitation by family, lawyers and friends for long periods of time at the whim and will of the powers that be, it alleged, adding this forced isolation constituted torture under all cannons of international law and our own jurisprudence.
Several other petitions filed before the SC against the denial of fundamental rights to Imran and his incarcerated wife Bushra Bibi were also transferred to the FCC, yet no hearing was granted, it said.
Filed by opposition members of the Senate and the National Assembly, petitions for jail visitation rights of Imran were found ‘unfit’ for fixation, the memorandum said, adding that repeated applications and representations before the IHC and its chief justice for the fixation of an appeal and application for suspension of sentence, too, remained exercises in futility. Unwarranted convictions were awarded to the ex-premier and his wife over a year ago, it said, describing the failure to hear and decide the applications for suspension of sentences as “oppressive”. Monitoring Desk
