Imran Khan and his wife to be allowed family visits in prison

Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court has intervened in a case involving Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi at Adiala Prison. The court accepted petitions challenging their solitary confinement and ordered that neither of them be kept in solitary confinement. It also directed authorities to ensure visits with family members, phone calls between Imran and his sons, access to books and newspapers and necessary medical treatment.

Justice Khadim Hussain Sumbul announced the verdict on Tuesday. The verdict had been reserved since August 6. The court said the petitions were maintainable in light of the principles laid down in the Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Begum Shamim Afridi cases.

The court ordered arrangements for meetings between Imran and Bushra Bibi in accordance with prison rules. It also directed authorities to allow members of Imran’s family to meet him. Arrangements must also be made for him to speak with his two sons by phone. However, the phone facility may be withdrawn if recordings of these calls are used for political purposes.

The court also ordered that Imran be provided with newspapers and books every day as well as medical care in accordance with prison rules. The superintendent of Adiala Prison was directed to ensure that Bushra Bibi is not kept in solitary confinement and submit an implementation report within 15 days.

Imran’s sister Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi’s daughter Mushabshira Khawaja Maneka had filed the two petitions. They alleged that Imran and Bushra had been kept in solitary confinement for a long time.

However, the government and prison authorities denied the allegations and said the two were being kept separately because of security risks. Prison Superintendent Sajid Baig said Imran was not kept in a single room all the time. He said Imran could move around during the day within a compound consisting of seven rooms. Similar security arrangements had been made for Bushra Bibi, authorities said.

The petitioners’ lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar, however, claimed that these restrictions were causing prolonged isolation and mental stress. He also complained about limited access to lawyers, family members and books.

Last week, after interviews with Imran’s two sons were broadcast, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said Imran was not being subjected to “punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation of facilities.” The ministry also said he was being provided various facilities including visits, phone calls, books and home cooked food.

The Ministry of Information further said Imran was not being detained under an executive order. It said he was imprisoned after being convicted following judicial proceedings in multiple cases and had the right to pursue all legal remedies available to him under Pakistani law. The PTI later rejected these claims as “misleading, fabricated and incorrect.”

Source: The Dawn (Adapted)