The continuation of family meetings with Imran Khan is tied to his relatives following agreed standard operating procedures — in particular, not holding press conferences or issuing political statements afterwards, according to informed sources (Geo News).
His sister Noreen Khanum was allowed to meet him again on Tuesday, her second visit within a few days.
The arrangement
Sources said the easing of restrictions on family meetings could continue as long as the SOPs are followed.
These include an undertaking that relatives meeting Khan will not address the media or make political statements afterwards. The understanding is reflected in Supreme Court proceedings, where such an undertaking has been given.
Why it became contentious
The issue had been disputed for a considerable period.
Family members would sometimes address the media after visits, and statements attributed to Khan would subsequently appear on his social media accounts. Those statements were often sharply critical of the establishment, which sources say created further complications over access.
What is being traded
The arrangement, described plainly, exchanges access for silence.
Khan’s family gets to see him. In return, what he says inside does not come out. For a politician whose principal remaining channel to the public has been messages relayed through visitors and posted online, that is a significant constraint — and it is one being administered through visiting rules rather than through any court order restricting his speech.
Sources present it as an encouraging development for Khan and his family, which by the narrow measure of contact it is.
The wider position
Khan, 73, has been in Adiala jail since August 2023.
The Supreme Court ordered on August 18 that he be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for medical assessment. He was taken instead to PIMS, examined, declared medically fit by a board of PIMS doctors whose report has not been released, and returned to Adiala by 5am.
PTI’s contempt petition over that was returned by the Registrar’s Office on Tuesday and refiled the same day. The government has separately applied for an early hearing of its review, arguing the court lacked jurisdiction to make the order.
