IHC tells Adiala jail authorities to ensure Imran, Bushra Bibi are not kept in solitary confinement

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday declared petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi maintainable and also directed Adiala jail authorities to ensure that neither was kept in solitary confinement.

IHC’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro announced the verdict, which had been reserved on Aug 6, and held that the petitions were maintainable in light of the principles laid down in the Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Begum Shamim Afridi cases.

The court also directed jail authorities to facilitate a meeting between Imran and Bushra in accordance with prison rules.

It further ordered that Imran’s family members be allowed to meet him as permitted under the jail rules and directed authorities to make arrangements for phone calls between him and his sons.

At the same time, the court directed that phone calls withdrawn if the recordings of these conversations were being used for political purposes.

The court also directed jail authorities to provide Imran with newspapers and books daily and ensure that he receives medical facilities in accordance with the applicable prison rules.

The superintendent of Adiala jail was specifically directed to ensure that Bushra Bibi was not kept in solitary confinement and to submit an implementation report to the court within 15 days.

The IHC directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to ensure strict compliance with the court’s directions and disposed of the applications accordingly.

The petitions had been filed by Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, and Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, challenging the alleged prolonged isolation of the former prime minister and his wife.

During earlier proceedings, the government and Adiala jail authorities had denied that either Imran or Bushra Bibi was being kept in solitary confinement. The advocate general maintained that Imran was housed separately due to security concerns linked to his political profile and was being provided facilities beyond those available to B-class prisoners.

Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig had told the court that Imran was not confined to a single cell around the clock and had access to a compound comprising seven cells, where he could move around during the day.

The jail authorities had similarly stated that Bushra Bibi was being housed separately due to security concerns and not as a form of solitary confinement.

Barrister Salman Safdar, representing the petitioners, had disputed the government’s position, alleging that the restrictions imposed on his clients amounted to prolonged isolation and mental distress.

He had also complained of limited access to lawyers, family members and books, and sought regular meetings and weekly telephone calls between Imran Khan and his sons.

Last week, after an interview with Imran’s sons was broadcast during a Test match between Pakistan and England, the Ministry of Information issued a detailed statement, which was released on social media and sent to the foreign press.

In the statement, the information ministry rejected allegations that Imran was being subjected to “punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation”, stating that visits, phone calls, reading materials and home-cooked meals, among other amenities, were available to him.

It said Imran was “not a person held under executive detention” and that he had been incarcerated based on multiple convictions after judicial proceedings, noting that the PTI founder “remains entitled to pursue all remedies available to him under Pakistani law”.

However, the PTI had rejected the ministry’s claims as “misleading, fabricated and incorrect”.