IHC Reserves Verdict on Imran Khan Jail Confinement Plea
The Islamabad High Court reserved its verdict on Tuesday on the maintainability of petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in Adiala Jail after their convictions in the £190 million corruption case.
The matter was heard by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who took up petitions filed by Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi’s daughter Mubashra Khawar Maneka. The petitioners argued that the conditions under which the two convicted prisoners were being held were unlawful and required judicial intervention.
During the hearing, the court observed that the accountability court verdicts in the £190 million and Toshakhana-I cases did not include solitary confinement as part of the punishment. Justice Soomro said the court would first determine whether the petitions were legally maintainable before issuing notices to jail authorities for a formal response.
Barrister Salman Safdar, representing the petitioners, told the court that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had allegedly been kept in isolation for months in violation of prison rules and internationally recognised standards for the treatment of prisoners. He argued that the issue had not been directly decided in earlier litigation and therefore required separate adjudication.
According to the petitioners’ counsel, Imran Khan was allegedly being confined for nearly 22 hours a day, while Bushra Bibi was said to be in isolation for the entire day. Safdar also submitted that Bushra Bibi had not been allowed to receive visitors for several months, adding that he himself had not been granted access to meet her despite repeated efforts.
The lawyer further drew the court’s attention to the medical condition of the former prime minister and his wife. He said Imran Khan was elderly, had lost vision in one eye and had undergone eye treatment, while Bushra Bibi had also faced health concerns, making the alleged restrictions more serious from a humanitarian and legal perspective.
The National Accountability Bureau prosecutor opposed the petitions, arguing that Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka were not directly aggrieved parties and therefore lacked the legal standing to move the court. The prosecutor also rejected the claim that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were being held in solitary confinement, saying prison matters were governed by jail rules.
In response, the petitioners’ lawyer argued that if the government denied the allegations, the court could directly summon Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to ascertain the facts. The exchange placed the focus not only on prison conditions but also on the broader question of how courts should examine rights claims involving convicted political figures.
The case carries strong political significance because Imran Khan’s imprisonment remains one of the most closely followed legal and political issues in Pakistan. Any ruling on maintainability could shape future litigation over jail access, prisoner treatment and the rights of family members to challenge alleged violations on behalf of detained relatives.
The court’s reserved verdict will determine the next stage of proceedings. If the petitions are declared maintainable, jail authorities may be asked to submit their position, potentially opening a wider judicial review of detention conditions at Adiala Jail and the legal limits of prison administration in politically sensitive cases.