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Monday, October 7, 2024

Constitutional rights violated as Imran Khan’s legal team denied meeting

Imran Khan's hearing will take place at the location where he was under custody. However, his legal team is not allowed to meet him.

The legal team of PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been denied permission to meet him ahead of the hearing on the Al-Qadir Trust case in which he was arrested a day earlier.

According to the details, PTI leader Babar Awan, who is also a part of Khan’s legal team, told the media that nobody is being allowed to meet the PTI chief which is against the Constitution.

“We were stopped from meeting our client,” Babar Awan said.

Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by Rangers on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an autonomous anti-graft agency, in relation to the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Read more: Nationwide protests disrupt traffic and cause chaos in Pakistan

After his arrest, protests erupted across the country as Imran Khan’s supporters took to the streets demanding his release. There were also reports of clashes between PTI supporters and the police.

The Islamabad High Court later announced the verdict on Imran Khan’s arrest, declaring it legal. Therefore, Imran Khan’s legal team intends to challenge his arrest in the Supreme Court today.

Imran Khan’s hearing will take place at the location where he was under custody. Imran Khan, instead of being taken to F-8 Court Complex and Judicial Complex G 11/4, will be presented at New Police Guest House, Police Lines — which has been given the one-time status of the court for this particular hearing. The decision to present Khan at a special court instead of a NAB court was taken in view of security threats to his life.

However, Imran Khan’s legal team is not being allowed to meet him which is a violation of the Constitution. To clarify, under Article 10 of the Constitution of Pakistan, every person detained in custody has a right to be informed of the reason for his arrest as soon as possible; moreover, he has a right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.

Read more: Congressman reacts to Imran Khan’s arrest

PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Awan, and others were also denied permission to attend the hearing or meet Khan. They have raised concerns over his health. On the other hand, Police officials have also clarified that entry access to special court will be granted to people according to the court list, while the permission for coverage depends on the judges.