IHC Refers KP CM’s Plea to Meet Imran Khan to Chief Justice

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday referred a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, seeking to meet PTI founder Imran Khan for budget consultations, to the chief justice.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro passed the order after the court’s Registrar’s Office reported that several identical petitions concerning jail meetings with the PTI founder were already pending before a larger IHC bench. The petitioners had sought an urgent hearing, challenging the registrar’s objections to their plea’s maintainability.

During the hearing, Advocate Ali Bukhari, representing the petitioners, argued that the request was distinct due to its connection to the provincial budget preparation. However, Justice Soomro noted the petition was filed by the officials in their individual capacities rather than by the KP government. After hearing the arguments, the court referred the file to the IHC chief justice for appropriate orders on how to proceed, given the pending cases before the larger bench.