Lawyers Meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail After IHC Order

Barrister Salman Safdar and Sardar Latif Khosa met Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Wednesday, a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered that the former prime minister be given access to his legal team. The Imran Khan Adiala jail meeting followed months in which the lawyers said they had been kept away from their client.

The two lawyers passed the Dahgal checkpoint on Wednesday morning and met Imran Khan under the court’s order in the £190 million case, in which he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have challenged their convictions.

At the checkpoint, Safdar said the discussion would stay within the bounds of the legal cases. “We will not discuss politics,” he said.

The meeting came a day after the IHC adjourned the couple’s appeals for ten days. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard the appeals against the convictions in the £190 million reference, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years.

Imran Khan Adiala jail meeting: what the court ordered

The court had directed a meeting of at least an hour between Khosa and Imran Khan, and allowed Safdar to meet both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi before adjourning the case. The bench also ordered the paper books to be prepared before the next hearing, when counsel are to begin their arguments.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Khosa told the court he had been denied access to the PTI founder. The chief justice asked the Islamabad advocate general to arrange the meeting within the next couple of days, and the advocate general agreed.

Safdar told the bench he had been denied access to Imran Khan for seven months and to Bushra Bibi for 11 months. The case runs to about 3,500 pages with 35 witness testimonies, he said, and the paper books had yet to be provided.

Why access to Imran Khan had become so restricted

Meetings between Imran Khan and his lawyers had grown rare long before this week’s order. The authorities had denied weekly meetings with his family and legal team since December 2025.

In April 2026, Safdar held a 60-minute legal consultation with Imran Khan on the court’s orders, but Bushra Bibi was not brought in. Safdar said the couple were kept in solitary confinement for almost 24 hours a day, with no access to books, television, family or lawyers.

The courts stepped in more than once. In June, the IHC directed the authorities to arrange a meeting with Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and their counsel within seven days. In August, the Supreme Court ordered weekly family meetings. His sister Noreen Niazi met him on August 18 after about nine months, for around 15 minutes.

He did not meet both clients again until November 2, when the jail authorities arranged a 40-minute meeting, which he told the court had been too short for a detailed discussion.

Earlier coverage: the court directed the authorities to arrange the legal team’s meeting; his sister again approached the Supreme Court over the delay in shifting him to hospital; Imran Khan underwent eye treatment at PIMS; and his party asked the Supreme Court to act on his health.

Health concerns raised before the court

Safdar also raised serious concerns about the health of both clients. He said Bushra Bibi’s eyes appeared badly infected and needed an immediate specialist evaluation. She had worn sunglasses during their meeting and removed them only at his insistence.

He said Imran Khan’s eyesight had improved, but his blood pressure remained dangerously unstable, putting him at risk of a brain haemorrhage. On that basis, he sought a fortnight’s bail for Bushra Bibi on statutory medical grounds. The advocate general opposed the request, saying she was receiving proper medical care.

Outside the court, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said orders in his party’s favour seemed “written in pencil” and easily ignored, while orders benefiting others were “written in permanent marker”.

Meanwhile, Dr Uzma Khan, Imran Khan’s sister, again approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking an early hearing of her contempt petition. She says the government has ignored the court’s order to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital. The Supreme Court office has twice turned down earlier requests for an early hearing of the petition, filed on August 22.

What happens next

The focus now shifts to the next hearing, when the defence is expected to begin arguing against the convictions. The court has given the authorities ten days to prepare the paper books, and the lawyers will use that time to study the record.

Frequently asked questions

Who met Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Wednesday?

Barrister Salman Safdar and Sardar Latif Khosa met Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, after the Islamabad High Court ordered that the legal team be given access to him in the £190 million case.

Why did the court order the meeting?

The lawyers told the court they could not argue the appeals against the convictions without first taking instructions from their clients. Safdar said he had been denied access to Imran Khan for seven months and to Bushra Bibi for 11 months.

What did the lawyers discuss with Imran Khan?

Safdar said the meeting would cover legal matters only. He told reporters at the Dahgal checkpoint that the lawyers would seek instructions from Imran Khan only in connection with his cases and would not discuss politics.

How long were the appeals adjourned for?

The Islamabad High Court adjourned the hearing of the appeals for ten days. The bench also directed that the paper books of the case, which run to about 3,500 pages, be prepared before the next hearing.

What health concerns were raised in court?

Safdar said Bushra Bibi’s eyes appeared badly infected and needed a specialist evaluation, and he sought a fortnight’s bail for her on medical grounds. He said Imran Khan’s eyesight had improved but his blood pressure remained dangerously unstable.