Imran Khan Meets Lawyer After Seven Months as PTI Struggles to Agree on Release Strategy

Forty Minutes to Discuss Months of Legal Cases

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan met his lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, for about 40 minutes at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail on Monday, ending a seven month gap in their direct contact as legal cases, health concerns and disputes within his party continued to build.

Safdar said the meeting began at about 4:30pm and included Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, whom he had not met for 11 months. Both gave him fresh instructions on legal matters and described their health and living conditions in prison.

Khan, 74, has been in custody since August 2023. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, said the consultation followed several applications asking courts to arrange access to him. The meeting restored contact with a lawyer handling his cases, but Safdar said the time allowed was insufficient to address all the legal issues.

The consultation came as PTI's political committee failed to agree on a strategy for securing its founder's release. Members planned another meeting within two days, while arguments over leadership performance and an internal disciplinary notice consumed part of their discussions.

Access to Khan also remains tied to concerns about his eyesight and the implementation of court directions concerning family visits, exercise, reading material and other prison facilities. The Islamabad High Court has allowed meetings twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, yet access to family members and party leaders has remained heavily restricted in recent months.

What Safdar Discussed With the Couple

Safdar attended the latest meeting as Khan's lawyer, with Bushra Bibi present. PTI central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the discussion focused on court proceedings and instructions for handling the cases, rather than political matters.

Safdar described the consultation in a post on X, saying that both prisoners had updated him on their circumstances and given him instructions:

The session was insufficient to cover all cases and legal matters. Both briefed me on their health and living conditions and gave fresh instructions regarding certain legal matters and cases.

The lawyer did not disclose the substance of those instructions. Akram put the meeting's duration at roughly 40 to 45 minutes and said that was too little time to discuss numerous cases after such a long interruption.

Khan and Bushra Bibi face proceedings involving more than one conviction, alongside other pending cases. A consultation therefore involves separate decisions about appeals, court applications and legal responses. Safdar's account indicates that some instructions were obtained, while other matters remained beyond the time available.

Safdar has also previously met Khan under Supreme Court directions as an amicus, a person appointed to assist a court. That role differs from acting as a defendant's own lawyer, whose task includes receiving confidential instructions and preparing the client's case.

Court Directions Have Repeatedly Addressed Access

The Islamabad High Court has intervened several times over meetings with Khan and Bushra Bibi. Its directions have covered both legal consultations and the conditions in which the couple are held.

On June 18, the court directed the Islamabad advocate general to ensure a meeting with legal counsel within seven days. The purpose was to complete legal formalities and pursue appeals against convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

On September 2, the court directed Adiala Jail authorities to provide meaningful human interaction, family access, exercise, reading material and other facilities. It said lawful imprisonment did not authorise avoidable deprivation of human dignity.

The main developments in the access dispute include:

• February 10: Safdar met Khan following Supreme Court directions, after concerns about Khan's health were raised.
• April: Safdar held a further legal consultation following an Islamabad High Court order. His previous publicly reported meeting is dated April 8, although April 9 is also cited for that consultation.
• June 18: The Islamabad High Court directed that legal counsel meet the couple within seven days.
• September 2: The court issued directions covering human interaction, family access and prison facilities.
• Monday: Safdar met Khan and Bushra Bibi for about 40 minutes after repeated requests.

The recurring applications show how access itself has become a continuing legal issue. The court has set a schedule for meetings, while lawyers and relatives have continued seeking orders to obtain them.

Several Cases Complicate the Effort to Secure Release

Khan's imprisonment involves several cases with different allegations and procedural stages. He was sentenced to three years in 2023 for concealing details of gifts received through Toshakhana, Pakistan's system for handling gifts presented to public officials.

Khan and Bushra Bibi also received sentences of 14 years each in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. Bushra Bibi was arrested on January 17, 2025, when the couple were sentenced in that case.

A further conviction followed in the Toshakhana-II case on December 20, 2025. The allegations concerned the unlawful retention of a Bulgari jewellery set given by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit to Saudi Arabia.

The prison terms for that conviction are described as 10 years for Khan and seven years for Bushra Bibi, while a sentence of 17 years is also reported. The precise sentencing breakdown is unresolved in the public accounts of this latest meeting.

Khan also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act concerning the May 9, 2023 protests and riots. Those proceedings are separate from the convictions involving gifts and the Al-Qadir Trust.

For PTI, securing release therefore requires attention to several legal proceedings rather than a single case. A conviction can be challenged through an appeal, which asks a higher court to examine the decision. The June access order specifically connected legal consultations with the couple's ability to pursue those appeals.

Eye Treatment and Family Contact Remain Concerns

Khan's health was part of Monday's consultation, although PTI said the meeting's principal purpose was to discuss legal matters. His right central retinal vein occlusion, or CRVO, became public in late January.

CRVO occurs when the main vein carrying blood away from the retina becomes blocked. The retina is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A blockage can cause bleeding and swelling that affect vision.

Khan has undergone eye procedures at the government run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, known as PIMS. His family has sought his transfer to a hospital of his choice.

PTI's political committee expressed concern about reports that Khan and Bushra Bibi might be moved to hospital. It called for Supreme Court orders concerning Khan's medical treatment to be implemented, for his family to receive information about his health and for relatives to be allowed to meet him.

The committee's demands connect medical treatment with family access: relatives want information about Khan's condition as well as permission to see him. Safdar's meeting gave the couple an opportunity to describe their health directly to a lawyer, but no detailed medical findings were disclosed after the consultation.

PTI's Release Strategy Stalls Amid Internal Arguments

PTI's political committee agreed to meet again within two days with a single agenda item: how to secure Khan's release. The decision followed heated exchanges that left the party without a shared approach.

Some members, including Malik Aamir Dogar, confronted PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and expressed dissatisfaction with his performance. Secretary General Salman Akram Raja reportedly accused a group within the party of giving undue importance to the parliamentary party, meaning PTI's elected legislators.

Noor-ul-Haq Qadri urged Raja to use softer language. The exchanges exposed disagreement over how the party's central leadership and its representatives in parliament should exercise influence while Khan remains imprisoned.

Another dispute concerned a proposed explanation notice to Senator Mashal Yousafzai. Such a notice asks a party member to respond to concerns about their conduct. Participants spent considerable time discussing who should issue it, without anyone agreeing to take responsibility.

Deputy Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi declined to issue the notice. Akram also refused, saying his position as spokesperson allowed him to issue statements. Members then questioned why Gohar or Raja were not handling the matter.

The promised follow-up meeting gives PTI a near term opportunity to settle its approach. For now, the party has announced its objective of Khan's release while leaving the practical strategy undecided.

Party Challenges Detentions and Alleged Raids

PTI's committee condemned the detention of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, the provincial assembly speaker and other parliamentarians. It called their detention illegal and said holding elected representatives in custody disregarded the public mandate.

The committee also condemned alleged raids and damage at the homes of former federal minister Omar Ayub Khan, Sher Ali Arbab, Shah Ahmad and other leaders. It raised concerns about alleged harassment of party workers and raids on their homes.

Those allegations accompanied demands for the release of MNA Adil Bazai, other PTI members and people detained under the Maintenance of Public Order law. An MNA is a member of Pakistan's National Assembly.

The Maintenance of Public Order law permits authorities to order preventive detention on public order grounds. PTI's objection concerns the use of that power against its members, alongside arrests connected to criminal proceedings.

The committee said some party leaders had been arrested again after obtaining release through court orders. It argued that political differences should not lead to victimisation and called for judicial decisions to be respected. These statements set out PTI's position on the detentions and alleged raids.

Security and LPG Prices Also Enter the Debate

PTI's committee also addressed terrorism and household expenses, extending its discussion beyond Khan's imprisonment. It described increasing terrorism as a major challenge requiring serious and effective action.

The committee said protecting lives and property was the state's responsibility. It also called for counterterrorism measures to be kept free of political victimisation, linking its security concerns with its objections to the treatment of party members.

On living costs, PTI claimed that liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, purchased at Rs238 per kilogram was being sold for as much as Rs700. LPG is used for cooking and heating, so higher prices can directly increase household expenses.

The two figures cited by the committee imply a difference of Rs462 per kilogram. A retail price of Rs700 is about 2.94 times the claimed purchase price of Rs238. The committee called for an investigation into the gap and action against excessive profits.

PTI also demanded relief in electricity and petroleum prices and measures to lower the cost of essential goods. Those demands place household budgets alongside prisoner access and legal proceedings on the party's agenda, even as its leadership remains divided over the immediate campaign for Khan's release.

Key Points

• Salman Safdar met Imran Khan for about 40 minutes after seven months without a direct meeting.
• Bushra Bibi attended the consultation, her first with Safdar in 11 months.
• The couple discussed health, prison conditions and legal instructions. Safdar said there was insufficient time to cover all their cases.
• The Islamabad High Court has repeatedly directed access to lawyers, family members and prison facilities.
• PTI plans another political committee meeting within two days to discuss securing Khan's release after internal disagreements prevented consensus.
• The party also demanded medical access, challenged detentions and alleged raids, and sought action on LPG and other household costs.