IHC seeks Adiala Jail report on solitary confinement claims involving Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has sought a detailed report from the superintendent of Adiala Jail on allegations that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are being held in solitary confinement and subjected to unlawful treatment in prison.

In a 10-page written order issued by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro on petitions filed by Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi’s daughter Mubashra Maneka, the court said the serious allegations of solitary confinement and illegal treatment could not be ignored or dismissed without issuing notices to the respondents and obtaining a report from jail authorities.

The order noted that the available record showed the two prisoners had been sentenced to rigorous and simple imprisonment in the event of non-payment of fines, but had not been awarded solitary confinement as part of their sentences.

According to the order, the prosecutor for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) denied the allegations, telling the court that claims of solitary confinement were false and had been made for political purposes.

The court directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail to submit a fact-based report clarifying whether Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement. If so, the report must specify under whose authority the decision was made, the legal provisions under which it was ordered, and the duration of the confinement.

The IHC also directed jail authorities to provide details of the prisoners’ current condition, the facilities being provided to them under prison rules, and to produce the complete prison record and relevant documents through an authorised officer at the next hearing.

Notices have been issued to the superintendent of Adiala Jail, the Inspector General of Prisons and the NAB chairman. The court observed that the maintainability of the petitions could only be determined after reviewing the jail superintendent’s report.

The case has been adjourned until August 6.