Alleged solitary confinement of IK, Bushra: IHC reserves verdict on maintainability of pleas

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.

A single-member bench, headed by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, heard the petitions filed by Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, on his behalf and by Mubashra Khawar Maneka on behalf of Bushra Bibi.

Barrister Salman Safdar and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja appeared before the court.

The IHC bench reserved the decision after hearing the arguments of the parties.

The federal government, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and the Advocate General opposed the petitions, declaring them inadmissible and requesting the court to dismiss the pleas.

During the proceedings, Justice Soomro remarked that the court would first decide whether the petitions were maintainable. He said that the notices to the respondents would only be issued if the petitions were found admissible.

During a discussion with the petitioners’ counsel Salman Safdar, Justice Soomro observed that if the same bench hears the matter in the future, the case could be fixed in the first week of August.

Justice Soomro also observed that convictions in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases did not carry solitary confinement as a punishment. He said that the court had examined both judgments and found no sentence of solitary confinement, adding that the court would first determine whether the petitions were maintainable before considering issuing notices to prison authorities.

Counsel for the petitioners, Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had been held in solitary confinement for several months in violation of prison rules. He said that the issue had previously been mentioned only as background and had not been the subject of a separate legal challenge.

Safdar told the court that he had been allowed to meet Imran Khan following a court order but had been denied access to Bushra Bibi for the past seven months. He alleged that Imran Khan was being confined for about 22 hours a day, while Bushra Bibi remained isolated around the clock.

NAB prosecutor Rafi Maqsood challenged the petitions, arguing that Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka were not aggrieved parties and therefore lacked legal standing. He denied that the couple was being held in solitary confinement, saying that their custody was being managed under prison rules applicable to convicted inmates. He also argued that the petitioners had not first approached prison authorities before seeking constitutional relief.

The federal government, NAB, and the Islamabad Advocate General asked the court to dismiss the petitions as not maintainable. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the petitions.

In her petition, Aleema Khan has challenged the alleged solitary confinement of her brother, describing his detention conditions as unlawful and inhumane.

She filed the petition through Barrister Salman Safdar, citing the Adiala jail Superintendent, the Inspector General of prisons, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General and the Executive Director of PIMS as respondents.

The petitioner prayed the IHC to declare Imran’s alleged solitary confinement illegal and direct the authorities to end the practice.

In the petition filed in the IHC through Barrister Salman Safdar, Bushra’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka challenged the alleged solitary confinement of former first lady.

Mubashra contended that her mother is being unlawfully kept in solitary confinement, in violation of her constitutional and fundamental rights.

She sought appropriate directions from the court to the jail authorities to ensure compliance with constitutional safeguards and protection of the inmate’s fundamental rights.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026