Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's sisters were once again denied a meeting with him at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, 16 September, in what advocates say is a continuing violation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders directing weekly family visits. The development marks the latest flashpoint in a prolonged legal standoff between Khan's supporters and Pakistan's federal authorities.

What Happened Outside Adiala Jail

Advocate Awais Younas Chaudhry confirmed that Khan's sisters, accompanied by six lawyers, gathered outside the prison to exercise their court-sanctioned right to visit, but were turned away without explanation. According to Chaudhry, the sisters waited well past 6:30 pm and received no communication from prison authorities about the approval of a meeting.

'The IHC has ordered that meetings of the family and lawyers with Imran Khan be arranged on Tuesdays and meetings of party leaders on Thursdays, but the court orders are being violated,' Chaudhry said, according to reports.

What Aleema Khan Told Reporters

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Khan's sister Aleema Khan alleged a systemic breakdown of judicial process. She claimed that courts had not been hearing plea petitions of both Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for several months. 'If justice is not to be found from the courts, then what will people do if they don't take to the streets? Nobody is getting justice; it is not only Imran Khan. This will impact every citizen of Pakistan,' she said.

Aleema Khan specifically named Judge Sarfaraz Dogar, alleging he had not heard Khan's bail plea in the Al-Qadir case for 20 months and had not conducted a hearing in the Toshakhana case for nine months — timeframes she said violated every applicable legal standard. She also contended that a recently established constitutional court was set up 'unconstitutionally' and aimed at undermining Pakistan's Supreme Court to keep Khan imprisoned.

Second Contempt Petition Filed in Supreme Court

On 3 September, Khan's other sister Uzma Khan filed a second contempt of court plea in Pakistan's Supreme Court over the non-implementation of the court's 18 August order. The petition names Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig, Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Ministry of Interior Secretary Ahmed Sarwar Raza, and Islamabad Capital Territory Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf as respondents.

The petition states that the court's 18 August orders — allowing Khan to speak to his sons virtually and meet his sisters weekly — have not been implemented. It further alleges that Khan has not spoken to his sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, since March, despite a court directive mandating telephonic conversations twice a week.

Background: The August 18 Supreme Court Order

Pakistan's Supreme Court had on 18 August directed that Khan be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for examination by a multidisciplinary medical board, and that family visits be facilitated. Despite that order, authorities took Khan to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on 21 August — not the court-directed hospital — and returned him to Adiala Jail after doctors reportedly declared him 'medically fit.' This earlier defiance of court orders prompted the first contempt petition, with Uzma Khan's 3 September filing constituting the second.

The pattern of repeated non-compliance with judicial directives is drawing sharp scrutiny from legal observers, with critics arguing it signals institutional resistance to court authority in politically sensitive cases. How Pakistan's Supreme Court responds to the fresh contempt plea could determine the next phase of this prolonged legal battle.