Lawyer for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Advocate Shiraz Ranjha on Thursday admitted that the petition for shifting former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan from District Jail Attock to Adiala Jail was filed without seeking his approval, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The lawyer made the admission during a dialogue with Official Secrets Act Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in Islamabad. “PTI chairman should not have been shifted to Adiala Jail,” he said, adding, “His lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat should have taken the legal team on board before filing the petition. But he did the opposite of that.”
He further said that he and other lawyers could easily meet with Imran at Attock jail. “But at Adiala, the circumstances are different,” Advocate Ranjha regretted.
The judge remarked that conditions inside the Adiala Jail were not favourable. “The atmosphere there is quite different from that of Attock jail,” he said, and added, “The jail has the capacity to accommodate 2,200 prisoners. But 7,000 have been crammed into it.”
The judge went on to say that at Attock jail, he used to have face-to-face interaction with Imran. “It was so peaceful there. But there is lot of rush at Adiala Jail,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Advocate Ranjha complained that the PTI chairman was not being provided the facilities he was entitled to. “Why is he not being provided a television set and a bed in the jail?” he questioned.
Judge Zulqarnain replied that he had ordered the provision of facilities such as newspaper, exercise machines and a library when the former prime minister was at Attock jail.
The judge said he was conducting the trial in the cipher case in best possible manner.
He said there was a need to realize why judicial remand was important in the case. “The judicial remand gives us an opportunity to see Imran after every fortnight,” he remarked.
Advocate Ranjha said that while the hearings of other cases were going on as per routine, trials in the PTI chairman’s cases were being held at a brisk pace.
“Cipher case is no ordinary case. It is an extremely important case. Please try to understand,” the judge said while addressing Ranjha.
The latter, on the other hand, was of the view that the case was not that sensitive, and it was being made to look like a sensitive one. “Our viewpoint is that the case does not merit a trial,” he added.
Addressing Ranjha, Judge Zulqarnain remarked that he should not be mistaken for judge Humayun Dilawar. “Dilawar conducted the trial in the Toshakhana case in his own way, while I will conduct the trial in my way,” he asserted.
Reporter: Farzana Siddique