The leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) firmly condemned the refusal to honor an order of the court granting a meeting with former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Adiala prison, qualifying the law a blatant respect for the judiciary.
Shibli Faraz, head of the opposition in the Senate, sentenced the violation of judicial orders on Thursday at a press conference outside the prison.
“Today, there has been a blatant lack of respect for judicial orders,” he said. “It is not our lack of respect, but an insult to judges and judicial power. It is the responsibility of the judges, and not of ours, to protect the integrity and dignity of the judiciary.”
Faraz’s remarks followed the refusal of prison officials to authorize the planned meeting, despite an order from the court, which he described as a violation of the legal protocol.
“The fact of not implementing the court’s decision does not tarnish our dignity, but rather undermines the judiciary and its integrity,” he added.
In addition, the head of the opposition to the National Assembly Omar Ayub accused the authorities of not taking into account the Constitution and the Law. “As usual, the law and the constitution have been raped,” he said.
Referring to paragraph 7 of the court’s decision, Ayub stressed that the superintendent of the Adiala prison had assured the meeting that the meeting would take place.
“We waited outside four hours, repeatedly informing the prison authorities, but as usual, the intelligence manager in charge of the region prevented the meeting. We condemn this law.”
Ayub also criticized the role of intelligence officers, questioning their priorities. “Their work should be to catch terrorists, not to prevent us from meeting Imran Khan. It is an intelligence failure that must be addressed,” he said, adding that the security personnel in Balutchistan could not exercise their functions effectively due to intelligence failures.
New criticisms came from Sahibzada Hamid Raza, head of the Sunni Ittehad council, who expressed his dismay at the behavior of prison officials and their lack of respect for the broader bench decision.
“We will not let this affair go unnoticed. The court’s decision has been ignored, and this shows that the prison administration and the powerful officials are above the law,” he said.
Niazullah Niyazi, spokesperson for the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, also expressed a strong conviction. “Today, the refusal to authorize a meeting has raised a serious question on the credibility of the judiciary,” said Niyaazi. “We will deposit a petition for outrage in response to this refusal. The existence of Imran Khan is vital for this country and the State.”