Imran Khan and his wife ordered not to be kept in solitary confinement

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered that former Pakistani Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi not be kept in solitary confinement.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro announced the verdict on Monday (September 1). The court passed the order after disposing of two separate petitions filed based on allegations that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were being kept in solitary confinement in prison, Samaa TV Online reported. 

Imran Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, filed a petition in the court alleging the PTI founder's solitary confinement, while Mubashara Khawar Maneka filed a petition on behalf of Bushra Bibi.

In the verdict, the court directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail not to keep Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in solitary confinement under any circumstances and to properly implement the court's instructions.

In addition, it has been ordered to arrange a meeting between Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as per prison rules. At the same time, it has been asked to ensure the opportunity to meet Imran Khan's family members.

The court also ordered that arrangements should be made for Imran Khan and his two sons to talk on the phone. However, the ruling said that if the records of these conversations are misused for political purposes, then this facility of talking on the phone can be withdrawn.

The verdict has directed the prison authorities to provide Imran Khan with newspapers and books every day and to ensure necessary medical care as per prison rules.    

The court noted that the responsibility for implementing these instructions will lie with the Superintendent of Adiala Jail.

The court declared the petitions admissible in light of various previous judgments, including the Nusrat Bhutto case and the Begum Shamim Afridi case. Later, the cases were disposed of with necessary instructions.

As part of the judgment, the superintendent of Adiala Jail has been ordered to submit an implementation report to the court within the next 15 days, stating the extent to which the court's directives have been implemented.