ISLAMABAD: A group of senators, belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has filed a petition with the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) seeking urgent intervention over the alleged treatment of the party founder and ex-premier Imran Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
PTI parliamentary leader in the Senate Barrister Syed Ali Zafar has filed the petition, which has been signed by several senators, raising concerns over prolonged isolation, restricted family and legal access, and the adequacy of medical care provided to her during her detention.
The party has urged the commission to investigate whether her conditions of confinement comply with the Constitution of Pakistan and international human rights standards. The petition contended that Bushra Bibi, whose conviction is not final and whose appeals remain pending, has faced restrictions on access to family members and legal counsel.
The senators cited public reports of deteriorating eyesight, ophthalmological complications, and post-surgery vulnerability as reasons for urgent medical scrutiny. According to the petition, a recent government report justified limiting family access by referencing social media posts made by Bushra Bibi’s non-detained sister. The petitioners have argued this amounts to “collective punishment” and penalises lawful expression by the third parties, which they say violates Article 19 of the Constitution and international norms on free expression.
The party legislators noted that any restriction on family contact must be prescribed by the law, necessary, proportionate, and individualised to the conduct of the prisoner herself, citing the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, and the Islamabad High Court’s ruling in Muhammad Idrees vs. Government of Punjab case.
It has also been referenced that Pakistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Nelson Mandela Rules, and the Bangkok Rules on the treatment of women prisoners. It notes that the Bangkok Rules stress communication with family and equivalent healthcare standards for women detainees.
The document has also been signed by Senator Saifullah Khan Nyazee, Senator Fawzia Arshad, Senator Mohammed Azam Swati, Senator Mashal Azam Yousafzai, Zargal Taimur, and Aon Abbas, besides Ali Zafar.
