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KP CM Sohail Afridi Moves IHC to Seek Permission to Meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail. Afridi says he must consult Imran before forming his cabinet and finalising key provincial decisions.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-17
KP CM Sohail Afridi Moves IHC to Seek Permission to Meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail

KP CM Sohail Afridi Petitions IHC to Meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail

ISLAMABAD — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail.

Afridi, who took oath as CM on Monday, said that as the province’s chief executive, he was legally and morally bound to consult Imran for “guidance on urgent and sensitive provincial matters,” including the formation of his cabinet and key governance issues.

The move comes a day after Afridi was denied access to Adiala Jail despite arriving there for a scheduled meeting with the imprisoned PTI founder. He said he waited for two hours outside the prison but was not allowed entry.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Afridi said he would not announce his cabinet without first meeting Imran. He also claimed to have informed both the Punjab and federal governments about his intended visit, but received no official response. Afridi added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not reply to his call requesting facilitation of the meeting.

The petition, filed through advocate Syed Ali Bukhari, names the federal interior secretary, the Punjab home secretary, the inspector general of Punjab prisons, and the superintendent of Central Prison Adiala as respondents.

According to the petition, Afridi had formally written to the Interior Ministry and Punjab Home Department on October 15, 2025, seeking permission for the meeting. The request was “duly received” by both offices, the petition stated.

Separately, Afridi also wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, urging him to allow “periodical meetings” between the KP chief minister and Imran Khan “under official supervision.”

In the letter, Afridi said that as the elected CM of a province with 45 million people, he needed to consult the PTI founder on matters of law and order, economic challenges, provincial cabinet formation, and relations with the federation and other provinces.

“There is a pressing need to seek direction from [Imran] regarding these matters,” the letter said, adding that Punjab had “stopped inter-provincial trade of wheat and other goods,” requiring immediate consultation.

Afridi also posted on X (formerly Twitter), apologising for skipping a federal meeting on agriculture and Afghan refugees, saying he could not attend without Imran’s guidance.

“Until I meet [Imran Khan] and receive policy guidelines, participating in such a meeting would be an insult to the mandate of the province’s people,” Afridi wrote.

Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case while also facing multiple trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act for the May 9 riots.
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