IHC directs Adiala jail authorities to facilitate Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi meeting

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed Adiala jail authorities to facilitate a meeting between PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in accordance with prison rules.

In its decision, the court ordered jail officials to allow Imran Khan to meet his family members as permitted under the jail regulations. It also directed authorities to facilitate his telephone conversations with his sons. The court further instructed the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that Imran Khan is provided newspapers and books on a daily basis.

Medical facilities ordered

The IHC directed jail authorities to provide Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi with medical facilities in accordance with the applicable prison rules.

The court also ordered the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that neither Imran Khan nor Bushra Bibi is kept in solitary confinement. The directions were issued while disposing of petitions concerning the treatment and facilities available to Khan and Bushra Bibi in custody.

The court instructed the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure full compliance with its directions.

The decision followed a petition by the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) seeking access to Khan and Bushra Bibi.

The petition filed earlier in August, under Article 199 of the Constitution, argued that restrictions on meetings with the couple violated their constitutional rights and provisions of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978. NDC Chairman Mahmood Baqi Molvi and other committee members challenged the restrictions, naming the federal government, Punjab Home Department and Adiala Jail superintendent as respondents.

The petitioners alleged that the jail administration had imposed an arbitrary ban on meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, claiming that visitation rights had been restricted since August 2023. They argued that the restrictions infringed upon constitutional protections relating to life, liberty and human dignity.

The petition also referred to international standards governing the treatment of prisoners, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and maintained that prisoners should retain reasonable contact with their families.

The NDC expressed particular concern over the family’s limited access to Imran Khan, saying the lack of contact had heightened worries about his health and safety while in custody.

The legal challenge came amid repeated concerns raised by PTI and the former prime minister’s family over restrictions on meetings at Adiala Jail. Jail authorities had previously cited security considerations for imposing limitations on visitation.