Dr Uzma Khan on Wednesday filed a second contempt of court petition before the Supreme Court over alleged noncompliance with its August 18 order allowing former prime minister Imran Khan to communicate digitally with his sons and meet his sisters weekly.
The petition named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and four other officials as respondents, alleging that the court’s directives had once again not been implemented. According to the petition, Imran had been denied a meeting with his sisters on September 1 and had been unable to communicate with his sons since March.
The petition was filed by Dr Uzma, sister of the incarcerated former premier, through SC Advocate Uzair Karamat Bhandari under Articles 187 and 204 of the Constitution. It sought contempt proceedings against the respondents and implementation of the apex court’s August 18 order.
The petition argued that, according to a Supreme Court judgment, responsibility for ensuring compliance with a court order rested with the chief executive, namely the Prime Minister’s Office. It asked the court to apply the principle laid down in the Yousuf Raza Gilani contempt of court case to the present matter and ensure implementation of its August 18 order.
The respondents included Rawalpindi Central Jail (Adiala) Superintendent Sajid Baig, Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Ministry of Interior Secretary Ahmed Sarwar Raza and Islamabad Capital Territory Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf.
The petition alleged that Imran’s sisters – Dr Uzma Khan, Noreen Niazi and Aleema Khan – and his cousin Qasim Zaman had been barred from meeting him despite the Supreme Court’s directions.
It further alleged that no arrangements had been made to facilitate telephone conversations between Imran and his sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, twice a week as directed by the court.
