IHC reserves ruling on maintainability of petitions alleging solitary confinement of PTI Founder, Bushra Bibi

ISLAMABAD, Jun 30 (APP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reserved its decision on maintainability of petitions against alleged solitry confinement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi in Adiala Jail.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the petitions filed by Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, and Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, challenging their alleged confinement.

During the hearing, Justice Soomro observed that convictions in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases did not carry solitary confinement as a punishment. He said the court had examined both judgments and found no sentence of solitary confinement, adding that the court would first determine whether the petitions were maintainable before considering issuing notices to prison authorities.

Counsel for the petitioners, Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had been held in solitary confinement for several months in violation of prison rules. He said the issue had previously been mentioned only as background and had not been the subject of a separate legal challenge.

Safdar told the court that he had been allowed to meet Imran Khan following a court order but had been denied access to Bushra Bibi for the past seven months. He alleged that Imran Khan was being confined for about 22 hours a day, while Bushra Bibi remained isolated around the clock.

NAB prosecutor, Rafi Maqsood challenged the petitions, arguing that Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka were not aggrieved parties and therefore lacked legal standing. He denied that the couple was being held in solitary confinement, saying their custody was being managed under prison rules applicable to convicted inmates. He also argued that the petitioners had not first approached prison authorities before seeking constitutional relief.

The federal government, NAB and the Islamabad advocate general asked the court to dismiss the petitions as not maintainable. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the petitions.