ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday attempted to speak at the rostrum of Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, but the chief justice left for his chambers without hearing him.
Afridi, speaking to the media outside the court, said he approached the rostrum after other channels to meet the chief justice failed. He greeted Justice Dogar, but received no response. After waiting for over an hour, he said he was not given even a verbal acknowledgment.
The chief minister explained that his purpose was to demonstrate that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) engages in peaceful political expression, not protest or anarchy. “After exhausting all options, we stage peaceful protests, which is our right,” Afridi told reporters.
The visit also highlighted pending requests for a medical examination of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan by doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital, which were not entertained by the court. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that although the court had ordered two weekly meetings for lawyers and family to meet Imran, these sessions were not arranged despite his appearance in court with Afridi.
Raja described how older contempt petitions were disposed of without proper action, prompting the matter to be escalated to the Supreme Court. He added that in another case regarding the social media platform X, the court directed a reply on behalf of Imran without allowing Raja to meet him. “Every party is entitled to present its position. Afridi, representing 45 million people, tried to do exactly that, but the chief justice left the court,” Raja said.
He added that the PTI would continue to seek legal recourse through the Supreme Court, emphasizing, “The case of Imran Khan will have to be fought by the nation and the people.”