ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered jail authorities not to keep former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in solitary confinement while disposing of petitions challenging their alleged isolation in jail.
IHC’s Justice Khadim Hussain Somroo announced the verdict reserved on petitions seeking to declare the alleged solitary confinement of Imran and his spouse Bushra illegal.
The petitions were filed by Aleema Khanum on behalf of Imran and Mubashra Khawar Maneka, the daughter of Bushra Bibi, against the alleged solitary confinement of the former prime minister and first lady.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the court directed the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that both Imran and Bushra were not kept in solitary confinement. It also directed jail authorities to facilitate a meeting between them. The IHC further ordered that the PTI founding chairman be allowed meetings with his family in accordance with jail rules and be provided telephone access to speak with his sons. The court also specified that the telephone facility should be withdrawn if recordings of Imran’s conversations with his sons were used for political purposes.
The IHC also directed Adiala jail authorities to provide Imran with newspapers and books on a daily basis and ensure that he receives medical facilities in accordance with the jail rules.
The order said the petitions were maintainable in the light of previous judgments, including the Nusrat Bhutto case and decisions concerning Begum Shamim Afridi.
The Adiala jail superintendent was directed to ensure implementation of the court’s directions and submit a compliance report within 15 days.
In its 24-page written verdict, IHC Judge Khadim Hussain Soomro directed the Central Jail Rawalpindi superintendent to ensure that the PTI founder was afforded at least one hour daily for walking and physical exercise, consistent with the advice of the medical board and subject to reasonable security arrangements.
The jail authorities were also instructed to facilitate scheduled audio and video communication, including WhatsApp calls, between the former prime minister and his sons, at reasonable intervals and subject to appropriate security arrangements. “Such facility is intended exclusively for private familial communication,” read the judgment.
The judge stated that the jailed PTI founder also be regularly supplied newspapers, magazines and reading material. “The books placed before this court and sought to be provided to him, including ‘Iqbal and the Sages of the East’, ‘Prayer According to Sunnah’, ‘Science and Civilization in Islam’, ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’, ‘Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a Military Commander’, ‘Saladin’, ‘Misquoting Muhammad’ and ‘The New State’, shall be delivered to the prisoner after the ordinary security scrutiny applicable to prison literature,” read the ruling.
Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram welcomed the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision, describing it as a significant step towards safeguarding the party’s constitutional, legal and fundamental rights.
In a statement, Waqas welcomed the court’s clear direction that neither Imran Khan nor Bushra Bibi should be kept in solitary confinement.
However, Waqas strongly condemned the continued violation of court orders by the jail administration, noting that Imran Khan’s sisters were once again denied their court-ordered scheduled meeting. He urged the court to take strict punitive action against officials responsible for repeatedly defying its orders.
Meanwhile, Waqas also demanded the immediate release of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid and other PTI leaders and workers who, he said, had been unjustly and unlawfully subjected to imprisonment.Later, the party condemned the denial of family meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi despite the IHC’s directions.
Meanwhile, he expressed deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of five security personnel in the terrorist attack on a police post and Customs warehouse at Ziarat Cross in Pishin.
