ISLAMABAD (MNN); Sohail Afridi on Wednesday tried to address Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar at the Islamabad High Court, but the chief justice left for his chambers without hearing him.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Afridi said he approached the rostrum after other attempts to meet Justice Dogar failed. He greeted the chief justice but received no acknowledgment, and after waiting for over an hour, he said he was not given even a verbal response.
Afridi explained that his purpose was to demonstrate that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf engages in peaceful political expression rather than protests or anarchy. “After exhausting all options, we stage peaceful protests, which is our right,” he 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. Salman Akram Raja said that although the court had ordered two weekly sessions for lawyers and family to meet Imran Khan, these meetings were not arranged despite Afridi’s appearance in court.
Raja added that older contempt petitions were disposed of without proper action, prompting escalation to the Supreme Court. He cited a separate case regarding the social media platform X, where the court directed a reply on behalf of Imran Khan without allowing a meeting with Raja. “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,” he said.
He emphasized that PTI would continue to seek legal recourse through the Supreme Court of Pakistan, adding, “The case of Imran Khan will have to be fought by the nation and the people.”
