IHC seeks prison report on solitary confinement claims involving Imran, Bushra

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has called for a detailed account from Adiala Jail authorities on petitions alleging that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being kept in solitary confinement, saying the nature of the accusations requires closer examination before the matter can be set aside.

In a 10-page written order issued by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro on petitions filed by Aleema Khan and Mubashra Maneka, the court sent notices to the superintendent of Adiala Jail, the inspector general of prisons and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The order said the question of whether the petitions are maintainable will be decided after the prison authorities submit their response.

The court asked the jail superintendent to provide a comprehensive factual report stating whether Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement, who authorised any such measure, under which legal provisions it was imposed and, if applicable, for how long. It also sought details about their condition in jail and the facilities being extended to them under prison rules, while directing an authorised officer to appear at the next hearing with the complete jail record and all relevant documents.

The written order said the petitions contained serious claims regarding solitary confinement and unlawful prison treatment. It further noted that the record available before the court showed the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi had been awarded rigorous imprisonment and simple imprisonment in case of non-payment of fines, but no sentence of solitary confinement had been imposed on them.

During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor told the court that the accusation of solitary confinement was incorrect and had been made for political purposes. Even so, the court ordered the jail authorities to submit a factual report on the matter. The hearing was adjourned until August 6.

£190 million case appeals

In a separate matter, the IHC gave Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi what it described as a final opportunity to argue their appeals against convictions in the £190 million case. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif accepted a request for adjournment after defence counsel Sardar Latif Khosa undertook to present arguments at the next hearing.

According to the order, Khosa, whose power of attorney for both appellants is already on record, assured the court that no further adjournment would be sought and that he would proceed with arguments at the next hearing. The bench said the adjournment was being granted solely on the basis of that undertaking and warned that if the defence did not proceed next time, no additional time would be given. In that event, the court said it would hear NAB and decide the appeals on the available record. Further proceedings in the appeals were adjourned indefinitely.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi remain imprisoned at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. They were sentenced on December 20, 2025, to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, which concerns allegations that they unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit to Saudi Arabia. Imran Khan has been in custody since August 2023 while serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case, and he also faces pending Anti-Terrorism Act trials linked to the May 9, 2023 protests.

In January last year, an Islamabad accountability court handed Imran Khan a 14-year sentence and Bushra Bibi a seven-year sentence in the NAB reference. The IHC is currently hearing appeals seeking suspension of those sentences.

Prohibited funding case challan

Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a challan against the PTI founder and others in the prohibited funding case. Officials said the document was filed with Registrar Abdul Wahab of the Special Court (Commercial Banking Circle), Islamabad.

According to the officials, the registrar’s office will send the challan to the court after scrutiny is completed, after which the matter will be fixed for regular hearing. The PTI founder and other accused have been named in the case and face allegations related to foreign funding and financial irregularities.