IHC defers hearing on Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi solitary confinement plea

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing on petitions seeking to declare the alleged solitary confinement of the PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, unlawful.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who was hearing the petitions, said the matter would be taken up after proceedings before a division bench. The petitions were filed by Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, and Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Maneka.

During the hearing, the couple’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that the issue of solitary confinement had previously been raised before the court. He said the prosecution had also acknowledged during an earlier hearing that the point had been raised in an appeal.

“I have brought the relevant record and will place it before the court,” Safdar said.

He told the court that miscellaneous applications had earlier been filed to obtain signatures on powers of attorney, adding that solitary confinement had been cited as one of the grounds in those applications.

“Had we obtained the vakalatnamas, I would have filed these petitions directly on behalf of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi,” he said, adding that the court’s previous order had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the solitary confinement issue.

Safdar further argued that Khan, who he said was 74 years old, had lost vision in one eye and had been taken to hospital five times.

“No meetings are being allowed with Imran Khan,” he told the court, adding that his client had informed him he was being kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day, while Bushra Bibi was allegedly confined for 24 hours daily.

“Imran Khan has been kept in solitary confinement for the past seven months. This is very alarming,” Safdar said. He also claimed that neither newspapers nor television access had been provided to the couple despite both having undergone eye surgeries.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Soomro adjourned further proceedings until after the division bench concluded its hearing.