Pakistan court grants permission to Imran Khan for election meetings in jail

The Islamabad High Court has granted leaders and lawyers from Imran Khans party the permission to visit the former prime minister at Adiala Jail The courts decision allows for crucial election strategy meetings in anticipation of the upcoming polls on February 8The order was issued by Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb responding to a petition filed by Imran Khan seeking the right to hold discussions with key Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI party members including Asad Qaiser Junaid Akbar Khan senators Aurangzeb Khan Dost Mohammad Khan and Ishtiaq Meherban among othersImran Khans plea also urged the court to instruct the superintendent of Adiala Jail to ensure privacy for the consultations between Khan and his legal team The 71yearold cricketerturnedpolitician emphasized the need for confidential discussions to strategize for the electionsDuring the hearing on Friday the AttorneyGeneral for Pakistan AGP Mansoor Usman Awan lawyers representing Imran Khans party and the Adiala Jail superintendent appeared before the Islamabad High CourtPTI counsel Shoaib Shaheen highlighted the partys requirement to discuss the allocation of 700 tickets for the upcoming elections However objections were raised by the AGP regarding the maintainability of the pleaJustice Aurangzeb expressed dissatisfaction with Awans arguments and questioned the AGPs stance in light of the additional note from the Supreme Court in the cipher case against Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood QureshiThe cipher case revolves around the alleged mishandling of a diplomatic document by the Pakistan embassy leading to accusations of violating the countrys secret laws The Supreme Court had granted bail to both Khan and Qureshi in this caseAlso read Russia unleashes one of years biggest aerial barrages against Ukrainian targetsReferring to the Supreme Court judges note Justice Aurangzeb emphasized the Election Commission of Pakistan ECP and the governments duty to ensure a genuine election process without any perception of oppression or favoritism towards particular political partiesThe judge expressed concerns about the interim governments conduct stating A terrible system is being run under the interim government where even consultation on elections is not allowed and questioned whether the caretakers aimed to derail the pollsDespite objections the court granted PTI lawyers including Chairman Gohar Khan permission to hold consultations with Imran Khan in jail The court also ordered a supervised meeting between Gohar Khan and the expremier emphasizing the fundamental right for consultations on pollsJustice Aurangzeb emphasized the importance of neutrality from the caretaker government during elections stating Permission for consultations on polls is a fundamental right and raised questions about the impartiality of the interim setup opposing meetings between the PTI chairman and Imran KhanAddressing reporters a PTI lawyer criticized the caretaker government stating They all have a problem with the fact that Imran Khan and the nation are on one page He highlighted the publics support for Imran Khan and accused the ECP and ldquoeliterdquo political parties of foreseeing their defeatImran Khan ousted through a vote of noconfidence in April 2022 has faced over 150 cases since his removal from power With the release of the election schedule political activities have intensified within major political partiesThe election program is now in full swing with the deadline for filing nomination papers already passedReturning officers will examine the nomination papers from December 25 to December 30 The upcoming elections mark a crucial phase in Pakistans political landscape with various parties gearing up for a competitive and significant electoral battle With inputs from agencies