Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Uzma Khan is expected to file a fresh contempt petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other government officials of failing to comply with court directions concerning family meetings and telephone contact with his sons.
Lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, who represents Imran and members of his family in several cases, said the petition would allege non-compliance with directions contained in the Supreme Court’s August 18 order.
According to Chaudhry, 13 days had passed since the order but only two meetings had been permitted between the incarcerated former premier and one of his sisters, Noreen Niazi. Other family members, including Uzma, had not been allowed to meet him, he said.
Noreen was also prevented from meeting her brother on Tuesday, according to the lawyer.
The proposed petition also alleges that authorities have failed to arrange telephone calls between Imran and his sons, who, according to the family, have not been permitted to speak to their father since March.
The draft petition maintains that the Supreme Court’s directions were “clear, unambiguous, unequivocal” and capable of immediate implementation. It notes that the order was issued in the presence of the Advocate General Islamabad and the Additional Attorney General of Pakistan.
It argues that the officials responsible for implementing the directions were therefore legally obliged to comply with them “in letter and spirit”.
The petition further maintains that if the government believed any part of the August 18 order required clarification or modification, it should have approached the Supreme Court under paragraph 14(d) of the order rather than failing to implement the directions.
The fresh contempt proceedings would add to the continuing legal dispute over Imran’s access to his family while in custody, with his relatives alleging repeated restrictions despite court intervention.