Lawyer of Imran Khan's party meets him in jail, says ex-premier fine and healthy

Islamabad, Feb 10 (PTI) A lawyer from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday said that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was "fine and looking healthy" following their meeting in prison as directed by the Supreme Court.

Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 5, 2023, when he was arrested at his Lahore residence after his conviction in a corruption case. Currently, he has been kept at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

PTI lawyer Salman Safdar met Khan at Adiala jail for about three hours.

It was the first meeting with Khan by anyone since December 2, when his sister Uzma Khan was allowed to meet him for 20 minutes. Later, she told the media that Khan was in good health.

Speaking to the media outside the jail, Safdar said that Khan was "fine and looking healthy". He said the meeting was ensured as per the court's orders.

When asked about Khan's health, he responded: "Fine. Rest, you should see in the report."  However, he refused to provide any further details about the former prime minister as he had to first submit a report to the apex court.

"It is not appropriate (for me to talk) until I submit the report,” he said.

Safdar also said that he was given proper access to Khan.

"The meeting took place, and there was full access," he said.  Earlier, a two-member panel of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, hearing a petition to meet Khan, appointed Safdar as amicus curiae with the orders to visit the jail.

The court said that it “considered appropriate that a report regarding the present ‘living conditions of the petitioner in jail’ be submitted”.

“Salman Safdar should go to Adiala as a friend of the court,” Justice Afridi said, adding that the court has full faith in him.

He said that Safdar "should be given full access to the PTI founder so he may be able to file a written response." He had also directed the jail authorities that the lawyer should not be kept waiting outside the prison.

Safdar asked the court “if the scope of the report was limited to living conditions only”, while he cited reported concerns about Khan’s health after a recent medical procedure.

But the chief justice clarified and told him to “submit a report of the living conditions only.” Lawyer Latif Khosa, who had filed a petition for a meeting with Khan, asked the court to accept his request. The panel turned down the plea and adjourned the hearing till February 12.

Authorities stopped weekly meetings between Khan and his family members and lawyers, as allegedly such meetings were being used for political purposes. PTI SH  ZH ZH