ISLAMABAD -UNS: Former prime minister Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Attock Jail in a graft case, was given B-Class facilities by the Punjab prisons department on Sunday, as his lawyers and the party claimed they were not allowed by the jail administration to meet the PTI chairman.
According to an insider, the prison authorities were kept ‘absolutely in the dark’ about the plan to shift Imran Khan to Attock Jail. They were expecting that the former premier would be taken to Adiala Jail but they came to know about the change of plan when the PTI chairman was brought outside the Attock Jail, he added.
Meanwhile, PTI chairman’s aide on legal affairs Naeem Haider Panjotha said the prison had been turned into a ‘no-go’ area for his lawyers or local people.
The legal team said they wanted to get in touch with Imran Khan to provide him with clothes, food, other necessary items and also get his signatures. The authorities did not allow meeting with the PTI chairman and asked the lawyers to come back on Monday to get power of attorney.
Aide claims prison ‘no-go area’ for legal team; minister says PTI chief has right to appeal; official details facilities provided to ex-PM
“We told them that we need to get the power of attorney as well as other documents signed by Mr Khan in order to move various applications and challenge different [court] orders,” one of the lawyers said.
PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan told to media the legal team was not allowed to meet Imran Khan as the jail administration “straight away refused to allow a meeting”.
PTI demands release
A meeting of the PTI core committee chaired by PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded Mr Khan’s immediate release, saying there were “threats” to his life.
The meeting expressed concerns about keeping Mr Khan in Attock instead of Adiala Jail and not allowing his legal team to meet him. The committee also questioned why the Punjab police had arrested Mr Khan instead of the Islamabad police.
They also questioned whether Mr Khan’s medical examination was conducted as per legal requirements and if it was then why the reports were not being shared with the party and lawyers.
In a video statement, Mr Qureshi claimed that the Attock Jail lacked B-Class facilities. This claim, however, was denied by the prison department.
