ISLAMABAD, Sep 02 (Alliance News): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed Adiala jail authorities not to keep PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in solitary confinement.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro announced the verdict on petitions challenging the alleged isolation of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in prison.
The petitions were filed by Aleema Khanum on behalf of Imran Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s daughter.
The court directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to ensure that both prisoners were not kept in solitary confinement and to facilitate a meeting between them.
The IHC also ordered jail authorities to allow Imran Khan to meet his family members in accordance with jail rules and facilitate telephone and audio-video communication with his sons at reasonable intervals.
The court said the telephone facility could be withdrawn if recordings of conversations between Imran Khan and his sons were used for political purposes.
The jail authorities were further directed to provide Imran Khan with newspapers, magazines and reading material on a regular basis and ensure medical facilities according to jail rules.
In its 24-page written verdict, the court also directed the Central Jail Rawalpindi superintendent to provide Imran Khan at least one hour daily for walking and physical exercise, in accordance with medical board advice and subject to reasonable security arrangements.
The court ordered the jail authorities to facilitate scheduled audio and video communication, including WhatsApp calls, between Imran Khan and his sons, subject to appropriate security arrangements.
It stated that the communication facility was intended exclusively for private family communication.
The ruling also directed the jail authorities to provide several books requested for Imran Khan after completing the standard security checks applicable to prison literature.
The court observed that the petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement were maintainable in light of previous judgments, including the Nusrat Bhutto case and decisions concerning Begum Shamim Afridi.
The Adiala jail superintendent was directed to ensure compliance with the court’s orders and submit a compliance report within 15 days.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 after facing convictions in several cases, which he and his party have described as politically motivated.
The IHC’s order comes weeks after the Supreme Court directed authorities on August 18 to transfer Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for a medical examination.
He was instead taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
The PTI had criticised the decision as a violation of the Supreme Court’s order, while the government defended the move on security grounds.
