ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday, challenging his “prolonged solitary confinement” at Adiala Jail, calling it illegal and a violation of fundamental rights, while party leaders were once again denied a meeting with him by the jail authorities.
Ms Aleema’s petition, filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, names the superintendent and deputy superintendent of Adiala jail, the Punjab inspector general of prisons, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) medical superintendent, as well as the state, as respondents.
The petitioner argued that no court had sentenced the 74-year-old former prime minister to solitary confinement in either the Al-Qadir Trust case or the Toshakhana-II case.
It alleged that jail authorities had kept him in isolation for approximately 22 hours daily over the last six months without any legal sanction.
Citing Section 73 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Rules 639 and 1019 of the Pakistan Prisons Rules, 1978, the petition stated that solitary confinement could only be awarded by a court and could not exceed 14 days at a time.
The petition termed the “prolonged isolation” as “patently illegal, devoid of lawful authority, and amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment”.
The petition further alleged that the PTI founder had lost 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye due to an ailment for which he had been taken to Pims Hospital on four occasions.
However, it added that neither family members nor his legal counsel had been informed about the nature of his disease or the treatment being administered.
“Despite repeated injections, there has been no improvement in his eyesight, and he has not been formally admitted to any hospital for proper diagnosis,” the petition stated.
It also alleged that the former superintendent of Adiala jail, Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, was transferred due to “deliberate indifference” and “failure to ensure timely medical treatment” for the PTI founder.
According to the petition, Mr Khan informed his counsel during court-mandated meetings that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was also being kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day at the same jail.
The petition prayed the court to declare “the solitary confinement and incommunicado detention” of the PTI founder “illegal, unlawful, without lawful authority”.
Meeting denied again
Meanwhile, party leaders were once again denied a meeting with the PTI founder on Thursday, as they called for the implementation of the court’s decision allowing the huddles.
The IHC has allowed Mr Khan to hold twice-weekly meetings, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with his family, lawyers and other associates.
Despite the order, the former premier has been restricted from meeting visitors for several months.
The party secretary general had submitted a list of six party leaders to the jail authorities, in line with court orders, for a meeting on Thursday.
The list included Syed Raza Gillani, Tahir Iqbal, Mian Fayyaz Hussain, Qazi Ahmad Akbar, Mehwish Janjua and Abdul Hakeem Zareen.
All party leaders included in the list arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday for a meeting with the PTI founder, but were not allowed to meet him.
Talking to Dawn, Mr Iqbal said he and the other leaders arrived at 2pm and were told by the jail administration to wait.
“We were told that we would be allowed to conduct the meeting if approval was granted. However, we remained there until 4:30pm, but no orders came for the meeting,” he said.
He added that it was unfortunate that the IHC’s orders were not being implemented.
“[PTI Secretary General] Salman Akram Raja has filed a petition in the court to ensure the implementation of court orders, but a judge said that the jail superintendent had the final authority to allow a meeting,” he continued.
Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2026
