Wasim Kambo ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a detailed written order in petitions alleging that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan (IK) and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were being held in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail, observing that such serious allegations could not be dismissed without prior obtaining a response from prison authorities. In a 10-page order, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro said the allegations …
IHC seeks Adiala Jail report on alleged solitary confinement of IK, Bushra Bibi
Wasim Kambo
ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a detailed written order in petitions alleging that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan (IK) and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were being held in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail, observing that such serious allegations could not be dismissed without prior obtaining a response from prison authorities.
In a 10-page order, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro said the allegations of solitary confinement and unlawful treatment in jail were serious and could neither be ignored nor rejected without issuing notices to the respondents and seeking a factual report from prison authorities.
The court noted that the trial court had sentenced both convicts to rigorous and simple imprisonment in the event of non-payment of fines, but had not awarded solitary confinement as part of the sentence.
The order referred to the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) position that allegations of solitary confinement were false.
The court directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail to submit a comprehensive report stating whether Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were being held in solitary confinement and, if so, under whose authority and under which legal provisions. The report must also specify the duration of any such confinement.
Justice Soomro further ordered prison authorities to provide details of the prisoners’ current conditions, the facilities being extended to them under jail rules, and to produce the complete jail record and all relevant documents through an authorized officer at the next hearing.
The court issued notices to the superintendent of Adiala Jail, the inspector general of prisons and National Accountability Bureau, observing that the question of whether the petitions were maintainable would be decided only after the prison superintendent’s report was received.
