Pakistan court bars solitary confinement of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi

Islamabad High Court ordered Adiala Jail to end any solitary confinement of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. The ruling also strengthens Khan's access to family, reading material and medical care as wider litigation continues.

In Short

• Adiala Jail superintendent must file a compliance report within 15 days
• Court ordered daily newspapers, books and medical care under prison rules
• Telephone conversations between Khan and his sons must be arranged

A Pakistan high court on Tuesday directed jail authorities to ensure that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are not kept in solitary confinement. The court also ordered that Khan be allowed family meetings under jail rules, be given newspapers and books every day, and receive medical facilities in line with prison rules.

The order was passed by Islamabad High Court Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who held petitions on the alleged solitary confinement of Khan and Bibi to be maintainable. Khan, 73, and Bibi are detained at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and are serving prison sentences in corruption and related cases. The court also asked the Adiala jail superintendent to implement the directions and submit a compliance report within 15 days.

Justice Soomro had reserved the verdict on August 6 on separate petitions filed by Khan's sister Aleema Khanum and Bibi's daughter Mubashra Khawar Maneka. Along with directing that Khan's family members be allowed to meet him as permitted under jail rules, the court ordered arrangements for telephone conversations between him and his sons.

Khan has been in prison since August 2023 after convictions that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have described as politically motivated. His supporters and relatives have repeatedly alleged that authorities restricted his access to family members and adequate medical care, allegations the government has rejected. Bibi was first jailed on January 31, 2024, after her conviction in a corruption-related case. She was released on bail on October 24 that year after nearly nine months in prison, but was re-arrested on January 17, 2025, after another conviction in a corruption-related case. She remains detained at Adiala Jail and has since received additional sentences in corruption-related cases.

Separately, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by Khan's sister Uzma Khan for an early hearing of a contempt petition against government officials over alleged non-compliance with its August 18 order directing Khan's transfer to a private hospital, Dawn News reported. Uzma moved the request after the court fixed September 16 for hearing her earlier contempt plea. On August 18, the Supreme Court had ordered the government to shift Khan to the private-run Shifa International Hospital after months of concerns raised by his family and supporters over his health, particularly an eye condition diagnosed earlier this year.

However, on the night of August 20-21, Khan was taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical procedure and diagnostic examinations instead of Shifa Hospital, and was later brought back to Adiala Jail. Uzma's petition said this violated the Supreme Court's order, which directed that Khan remain admitted at the Islamabad hospital until the next hearing on September 16. The government defended the move to PIMS, citing security concerns. The contempt petition will now be heard on September 16 by a three-member bench comprising Justices Shahid Waheed, Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The same bench is also due to hear pending cases related to Khan's health and family meetings. Dawn News reported that the court declined an early hearing under its case-fixation policy, noting that 94 other criminal original petitions in the same category were pending before it.

The high court's order on Khan and Bibi's jail conditions came as Khan's wider legal battle continued, with the Supreme Court keeping his contempt plea over the hospital transfer listed for September 16 along with related matters on his health and family access.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends