Imran Khan conspiring in prison to spread anarchy, claims Pak PM’s aide

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former premier Imran Khan was hatching plots inside the prison to create another "political chaos" in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advisor on political and public affairs has claimed.

Speaking on Geo News programme 'Naya Pakistan,' former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said that 71-year-old founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was not permitted by the court to hold political meetings at the high-security Adiala Jail.

Khan, who faces over 200 cases and has been convicted in a few of them, has been in jail since August last year.

Sanaullah, who is the Prime Minister's Adviser on Political and Public Affairs, claimed that the PTI founder is not allowed to make such plans to create chaos while sitting in jail.

He claimed that evidence available with authorities concerned solidifies the claims of such planning underway in the jail.

The PM's aide, however, said that the government has no audio or video evidence of the planning "but those who are responsible and performing duties there have them".

Sanaullah’s statement came after the leaders of the former ruling party said they were denied permission to meet the party's incarcerated founder in Adiala Jail despite waiting for a few hours outside the facility earlier this week.

Commenting on the planned rally by Khan's party in Islamabad, the PML-N senior leader said that the PTI's decision to hold a power show in Muharram - the first month of the Islamic calendar which starts from Monday - was inappropriate.

PTI on Saturday postponed its rally in the suburbs of Islamabad after revocation of its permission by the authorities, citing security concerns.

The party was set to organise its power show at Tarnol at 6 pm for which it had secured a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Islamabad deputy commissioner.

However, the city administration on Friday cancelled the permission saying the NOC issued by the deputy commissioner was reviewed afresh in the wake of security concerns.

Earlier in the day, Khan's party filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking contempt proceedings against the Islamabad district administration and police for cancelling the NOC.

It stated that the party had approached the IHC for permission for the rally and during the hearing of its petition, the court was told by the administration that permission had been granted for the rally.

Separately, an anti-terrorism court has reserved its decision on Khan's interim bail requests related to the May 9 incidents, including the Jinnah House case and two other cases, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

During the hearing on Saturday, Khan's counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that the PTI founder was being targeted for political reasons.

"In my entire career, I have never seen so many cases against a single individual. Those who were actually inciting against institutions at the scene were not arrested," Safdar alleged.

"How could a case be filed against him when he was in custody at the time of the crime?" the PTI chief's counsel questioned.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its judgement on Khan’s interim bail requests.

On July 3, a district and sessions court in Islamabad acquitted the PTI founder along with all other defendants in a case registered at Islamabad’s Aabpara police station.