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 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician and his wife are currently detained at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, serving lengthy prison sentences in corruption and related cases.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro announced the verdict while holding the petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of Khan and Bibi as maintainable.
The court also directed that Khan’s family members be allowed to meet him as permitted under jail rules and ordered authorities to make arrangements for telephone conversations between him and his sons.
The IHC directed the Adiala jail authorities to provide Khan with newspapers and books daily and ensure that he receives medical facilities in accordance with jail rules.
The Adiala jail superintendent was directed to ensure implementation of the court’s directions and submit a compliance report within 15 days.
Justice Soomro had earlier reserved the verdict on August 6 on petitions, filed separately by Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum and Bibi’s daughter Mubashra Khawar Maneka, challenging their alleged solitary confinement.
Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have described as politically motivated.
His supporters and relatives have repeatedly alleged that authorities have restricted his access to family members and adequate medical care. The government has rejected such allegations.
Bibi was first jailed on January 31, 2024, after her conviction in a corruption-related case, and was released on bail on October 24 that year after nearly nine months in prison.
She was re-arrested on January 17, 2025, following her conviction in another corruption-related case and remains detained at Adiala Jail, having since received additional sentences in corruption-related cases.
Separately, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by Imran 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 the former prime minister’s transfer to a private hospital, Dawn News reported.
Uzma filed the request after the Supreme Court fixed September 16 for hearing her earlier contempt plea.
The Supreme Court had on August 18 ordered the government to shift Khan to the private-run Shifa International Hospital following 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 admitted to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a medical procedure and diagnostic examinations instead of Shifa Hospital. He was subsequently taken back to Adiala Jail.
Uzma’s petition argued that the decision 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 its decision to take him to PIMS, citing security concerns.
The contempt petition has been fixed for hearing on September 16 before a three-member bench comprising Justices Shahid Waheed, Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The same bench is also scheduled to hear pending cases concerning Khan’s health and family meetings.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the request for an early hearing under its case-fixation policy, noting that 94 other criminal original petitions in the same category were pending before the Supreme Court, Dawn News reported.
