- Judge seeks report detailing facilities being provided to Khan.
- Says maintainability of petitions to be decided after jail report.
- Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro adjourns hearing till August 6.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday sought a detailed report and prison record from the Adiala jail superintendent related to the alleged solitary confinement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
IHC judge Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro issued the directives while hearing petitions filed by Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka.
During the previous hearing on Tuesday, the judge had observed that convictions in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases did not carry solitary confinement as a punishment. He had said the court had examined both judgments and found no sentence of solitary confinement.
At the outset of today’s hearing, Justice Soomro directed the jail superintendent to explain whether the two prisoners had been placed in solitary confinement and, if so, under which legal provisions, in what circumstances and for what duration.
It is pertinent to mention here that Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.
The court will decide the maintainability of the petitions after the jail authorities submit their report, the judge remarked.
The judge also sought a report detailing the facilities being provided to the former prime minister and his wife in jail.
The judge ordered the inspector general of prisons and the superintendent of the jail to ensure that their nominated representatives appear before the court at the next hearing.
He said the officials appearing before the court must be fully aware of the facts and circumstances of the case.
Meanwhile, the judge adjourned the hearing till August 6.
During the previous hearing, counsel for the petitioners, Barrister Salman Safdar, had argued that Khan and Bushra had been held in solitary confinement for several months in violation of prison rules.
Safdar had told the court that he was allowed to meet Khan following a court order, but had been denied access to Bushra for the past seven months.
He had alleged that Khan was being confined for about 22 hours a day, while Bushra remained isolated around the clock.
NAB prosecutor, Rafi Maqsood had challenged the petitions, arguing that Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka were not aggrieved parties and therefore lacked legal standing.
He had denied that the couple was being held in solitary confinement, saying their custody was being managed under prison rules applicable to convicted inmates.
He had also argued that the petitioners had not first approached prison authorities before seeking constitutional relief.
The federal government, NAB and the Islamabad advocate general asked the court to dismiss the petitions as not maintainable. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court had reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the petitions.
Additional input from APP
