ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has sought a detailed, fact-based report from the Superintendent of Adiala Jail on petitions alleging that former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement.
The court asked the jail superintendent to clarify whether the two prisoners have been placed in solitary confinement and, if so, under whose authorized orders, under which law the decision was made, and for what duration they have been kept in isolation.
The Islamabad High Court also directed the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to submit a detailed report on the current condition of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in jail, as well as the facilities being provided to them in accordance with prison rules.
The court issued notices to the Superintendent of Adiala Jail, the Inspector General of Prisons, and the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), seeking their responses to the petitions requesting an end to the alleged solitary confinement of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi.
The court observed that it would decide on the maintainability of the petitions only after receiving the report from the Superintendent of Adiala Jail.
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Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had removed the Registrar Office’s objections to the petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi and directed that the petitions be assigned regular case numbers.
The petitions filed by Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka were heard by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro. During the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar, Salman Akram Raja, and other lawyers appeared before the court, while Aleema Khan, Shandana Gulzar, and other party leaders were also present in the courtroom.
During the proceedings, Barrister Salman Safdar argued that the Registrar Office had objected on the grounds that the petitioners were not the aggrieved parties. He contended that Aleema Khan is the sister of the PTI founder and Mubashra Khawar Maneka is the daughter of Bushra Bibi, giving them the legal standing to file the petitions.
Barrister Salman Safdar further informed the court that no meeting with Bushra Bibi had been possible since December, while meetings with the PTI founder had taken place only twice on the directions of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court. He also alleged that the PTI founder was not being provided with television or newspapers and that the couple had been kept in solitary confinement for the past seven months, describing the situation as inhumane treatment.
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During the hearing, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro called NAB Prosecutor Rafi Maqsood to the rostrum. The prosecutor argued that a miscellaneous application regarding solitary confinement had already been dismissed during the hearing of appeals and that the matter could not be raised through a constitutional petition but could instead be taken to the Supreme Court.
Responding to the argument, Barrister Salman Safdar maintained that their application regarding solitary confinement had not been dismissed. He said that if such an order existed, he would produce a certified copy before the court, adding that the bench headed by the Chief Justice had not issued any order on the matter.
After hearing the arguments, the court removed the Registrar Office’s objections and directed that the petitions be formally registered. The court also stated that the question of the petitions’ maintainability would be decided on the judicial side after the required report is received.
