In a significant move highlighting escalating tensions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to gain access to his party’s founder, Imran Khan, stating that the inability to meet him is obstructing crucial provincial governance. Khan is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

The legal challenge was formally submitted on Friday by the Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a special power of attorney. The petition lists the Federal and Punjab Home Secretaries, the Inspector General of Punjab Police, and the Superintendent of Adiala Jail as official respondents in the matter.

Filed by Advocate Syed Ali Bukhari, the plea underscores that consultation with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder is vital for the formation of the provincial cabinet and for making decisions on other key administrative issues. The document notes that formal requests for the meeting had already been sent to the Federal Interior Ministry and the Punjab Home Department.

The petition further argues that there is a legal and ethical imperative for the provincial administration to seek guidance from its party’s patron-in-chief on critical governance matters.

This legal action follows a previous incident where Chief Minister Afridi was denied access to Mr. Khan. Authorities had stopped his convoy at the Dahgal checkpoint, forcing him to wait for two hours before he ultimately had to return without seeing the party leader.

The petitioner has implored the court to order an immediate meeting between Chief Minister Afridi and Imran Khan, and to also grant a standing permission for similar consultations in the future whenever they are deemed necessary.