Islamabad: The Supreme Court Registry Office on Wednesday returned a petition presented by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur, looking for permission to meet with the founder of PTI and former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Adiala prison to consult on provincial matters.
The office cited legal lacquers, including the absence of properly signed power, such as the reason to reject the plea.
The petition was transferred under article 184 (1) of the Constitution granted by the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to listen to disputes between two or more governments through declarative judgments.
In his plea, the main minister of the KP sought directives for the Federal Government to allow him to comply with the founder of PTI to consult and guidance on matters related to the Government of the Province. The petition argued that Imran Khan has been “illegally arrested” in Rawalpindi prison since August 2023.
The petition appointed the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior, the main secretary of Punjab and the Superintendent of the Adiala prison as respondents.
This was the second attempt by the KP Prime Minister. Previously, on June 25, Mr. Gandapur had entered a judicial procedure in the midst of a case to seek the urgent attention of the senior judge of Puisne Syed Mansoor Ali Shah about what he described as to be denied a meeting with Imran Khan to consult on the provincial budget.
According to media reports, KP’s prime minister has not been allowed to meet with the founder of PTI for several months.
Mr. Gandapur had also filed a similar petition before the Supreme Court, looking for a statement that respondents, the Federal Government, the Chief Secretary of Punjab and the Superintendent of the Adial prison, must go to organize their meetings with Imran Khan, which argues the denial of regular access to the founder of PTI ascending to a violation of articles 9 and 10a of the Constitution.
The petition had requested the Apex court to order the respondents to guarantee compliance with any court order with respect to the visiting rights, emphasizing that the role of the prime minister required a consultation with the founding president of the party.
He argued that the restriction to access undermined the democratic rights of the members and supporters of PTI, who represent more than a quarter of the population of Pakistan, added that the failure of the previous requests presented in the Superior Court of Islamabad on the same issue underlined the urgency and the need for the intervention of the Supreme Court.
Posted in Dawn, August 28, 2025
