Islamabad – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi attempted to address Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar directly from the court rostrum on Wednesday, but Justice Dogar left the courtroom before Afridi could speak, according to multiple reports.
Afridi told reporters outside the court that he sought to speak with the chief justice after other attempts to arrange a meeting failed, The Nation reported. He stated he approached the rostrum, greeted Justice Dogar, but received no response. After waiting for over an hour, Afridi said he was not even acknowledged.
The chief minister explained that his presence at the court was intended to demonstrate that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) engages in peaceful political expression, not protest or anarchy, as reported by Dunya News. “After exhausting all options, we stage peaceful protests, which is our right,” he said.
The visit also highlighted unresolved requests for a medical examination of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan by doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital, which the court has not yet entertained, according to reports from Dunya News and The Nation.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, speaking to the media alongside Afridi, claimed the Islamabad High Court has become inaccessible to the legal team representing Imran Khan. Raja stated that despite a court order for two weekly meetings – one for lawyers and one for family – with Khan, the meetings have not been arranged. He said that when he and Afridi appeared in court, the jail superintendent was directed to facilitate the meetings, but they did not occur.
Raja further stated that a contempt of court petition regarding the lack of access was filed but not addressed. When older contempt petitions were eventually heard, they were disposed of without action, prompting an appeal to the Supreme Court, according to The Nation. He also cited a separate case involving the social media platform X, where the court requested a response from Imran Khan without allowing Raja to consult with him first.
“Every party is entitled to present its position. Afridi, representing 45 million people, tried to do exactly that, but the chief justice left the court,” Raja said, as reported by Dunya News.
Raja indicated the matter would be escalated to the Supreme Court, stating, “The case of Imran Khan will have to be fought by the nation and the people.”
An incident also occurred in the high court corridor where a man’s mobile phone was confiscated by police after he recorded a video of Afridi’s departure, with the video subsequently deleted before the phone was returned, according to reports.
Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, also spoke to reporters outside the IHC, alleging that Chief Justice Dogar was appointed to obstruct the hearing of her brother’s cases. She claimed hearings were repeatedly avoided and that the chief justice would leave the courtroom when Afridi or even she was present, according to reports.
Aleema Khan also stated that decisions regarding Imran Khan’s medical treatment are the family’s prerogative and that the party had been withholding information. She expressed concern that Khan had received treatment in jail without the family’s knowledge and criticized the PTI leadership for inaction, questioning the absence of senior lawyers involved in Khan’s cases.
