ISLAMABAD: Lawyers of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan met him in prison and discussed a proposed constitutional overhaul, the takeover of his party-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the center and other political issues during their four-hour interaction, a senior member of Khan’s party said on Thursday.

The meeting at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail took place after an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order directed authorities facilitate Khan and his wife’s consultations with their lawyers in connection with their appeals against convictions in a £190 million corruption case.

Sardar Latif Khosa, a senior member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said he and fellow lawyer, Salman Safdar, met Khan and his wife on Wednesday. The federal government has not issued an official statement or publicly commented on the meeting as of Thursday.

Khosa said discussions covered Khan’s legal cases, political developments and the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, which has fueled debate over a possible restructuring of Pakistan’s administrative and provincial boundaries.

“We talked about the 28th Amendment. It was a four-hour meeting, so what could not have been discussed? The political issues were discussed,” Khosa told Arab News, declining to go into further details.

Proposals under discussion in political circles include dividing Pakistan’s existing four provinces into as many as 12 administrative units. However, the government has not formally presented the constitutional proposal to parliament.

Asked whether the political situation in KP also came under discussion, Khosa said, “How could there not be a discussion about KP?”

On Oct. 11, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari imposed governor’s rule and an emergency in the northwestern province, effectively sidelining the PTI-led provincial government and transferring executive powers to the Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.

The federal government justified the move by accusing the former PTI-led government of failing to cooperate with the center in counterterrorism efforts, amid a surge in militant violence in the region. PTI rejected the allegation, describing the move as an attack on its political mandate.

The move further heightened tensions between Khan’s party and the coalition government of PM Shehbaz Sharif, both of which have been locked in prolonged political confrontation since Khan’s removal from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.

HEALTH AND LEGAL BATTLES

Khosa said Wednesday meeting primarily focused on legal matters and the health conditions of Khan and his wife, who are both imprisoned at Adiala jail.

“They genuinely have health problems, both he and Bushra Bibi. Health problems, they definitely exist and are quite serious, and we will present this to the court and try to get them some relief,” he said.

“Bushra Bibi’s eye condition is quite serious. It is critical, and her surgery is not possible under these conditions. Her relief is extremely necessary so that she can get treatment from a doctor and hospital of her own choice.”

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and faces multiple cases that his party describes as politically motivated. The government denies this.

The former premier was recently taken to Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for treatment and follow-up care for an eye ailment. The hospital said that his condition was clinically stable.