Zubarir Qureshi
The Special Court (Official Secrets Act) on Monday issued notices to the Adiala Jail superintendent for failing to arrange a phone call between the incarcerated PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his sons.
The PTI chief was sent to jail after he was convicted in the Toshakhana case. His sentence was suspended on August 9 but he remained in jail because he was on judicial remand in the cipher case.
The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document which reportedly went missing from Imran Khan’s possession.
The PTI alleges that it contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran from power. The former premier and his aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also behind bars, were indicted in the case on Oct 23.
Last week, the special court allowed Imran to make a telephone call to his children every Saturday.
However, in a petition filed today, PTI lawyer Sheraz Ahmed Ranjha the Adiala jail superintendent did not obey the court’s order.
“The respondent has wilfully, deliberately and intentionally violated the order of the honourable court,” the plea said, adding that contempt of court proceedings should be commenced against the prison official.
The application also sought that the superintendent be instructed to arrange a phone call between Imran and his sons immediately.
Taking up the petition on Monday, Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain issued notices to the Adiala jail superintendent and sought responses to the petition. The hearing was subsequently adjourned till Nov 8 (tomorrow).
Separately, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) adjourned the hearing on Imran’s bail plea in a case pertaining to violence and vandalism in the country on May 9 till November 14 due to the prosecutor’s failure to appear.
