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SC Allows Imran Khan’s Counsel to Meet Him at Adiala Jail as Amicus Curiae
The Supreme Court has allowed PTI counsel Salman Safdar to meet Imran Khan at Adiala jail as amicus curiae and submit a report on his living conditions, while rejecting PTI’s request for broader visitation rights.
ND
by News Desk
2026-02-10
SC Allows Imran Khan’s Counsel to Meet Him at Adiala Jail as Amicus Curiae

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed PTI counsel Salman Safdar to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail after appointing him as amicus curiae, directing him to submit a written report on the former prime minister’s living conditions.

The development followed a day after an ‘urgent’ request for a meeting with Imran Khan — filed by senior PTI leader Latif Khosa — was rejected by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. The bench had noted that such an order could not be passed without hearing the government’s stance and subsequently issued a notice.

When the hearing resumed on Tuesday, the court appointed Salman Safdar as “friend of the court” and instructed him to visit Adiala jail the same day and submit a report on Imran Khan’s living conditions by Wednesday.

PTI counsel Latif Khosa and Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan were also present during the proceedings.

At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice Afridi barred Khosa from addressing the court. AGP Awan informed the bench that a written response had already been submitted in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order dated August 24, 2023, which had sought a report on Imran Khan’s living conditions in jail.

The AGP stated that at the time of the 2023 order, Imran Khan was incarcerated in Attock jail and that a written report, along with a medical report covering the period from August 5 to August 18, had been submitted on August 28, 2023.

However, CJP Afridi observed that the report pertained to Imran Khan’s detention in Attock jail and did not reflect his current incarceration at Adiala jail. “After the August 24, 2023 order, there has not been any order on record which was satisfactory to the Supreme Court,” the chief justice remarked.

According to the court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the bench maintained that it was appropriate for an updated report regarding the “present living conditions of the petitioner in jail” to be submitted by the superintendent of Central Prison, Rawalpindi.

Following this, Salman Safdar was formally appointed amicus curiae and instructed to visit Adiala jail. “We have full faith in Salman Safdar,” CJP Afridi said, directing that he be granted full access to Imran Khan and not be kept waiting outside the jail premises.

The chief justice further assured Safdar that the CJP’s personal staff would be available should he face any difficulty during the visit.

During the hearing, Safdar sought clarification on whether the scope of his report would be limited to living conditions, citing concerns about Imran Khan’s health following a recent medical procedure. The chief justice clarified that the report should strictly focus on living conditions.

AGP Awan requested the court to note on record that a report had already been submitted in 2023.

Towards the end of the proceedings, Latif Khosa again sought permission to meet Imran Khan, but the request was once more rejected. The court then adjourned the hearing until February 12.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, speaking to reporters after the hearing, described his recent conversation with the chief justice regarding Imran Khan’s incarceration and health as “beneficial”. He noted that progress had been made but cautioned against drawing final conclusions.

“We are not declaring anything as final. We are not saying everything is good,” Raja said, adding that PTI lawyers would visit Adiala jail to meet Imran Khan.

Calling for humane treatment, Raja urged that the system “return to humanity”, stressing that basic human dignity and piety were being demanded.

Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 5, 2023, and is currently imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Central Jail. Last week, PTI submitted a two-page memorandum to the Supreme Court registrar seeking immediate jail visitation rights for Imran Khan with his family, doctors, lawyers, and friends.

The memorandum alleged repeated violations of Imran Khan’s rights as a prisoner and a human being, including concerns over an alleged secretive medical procedure conducted at a hospital in Islamabad without informing his relatives, in violation of jail rules.
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