Request the court to allow meetings with Imran; Lawyer Gohar highlights the need to allow peaceful protests
Imran Khan orders to expel absent legislators on the day of voting on the 26th constitutional amendment. PHOTO: PIXABAY
Fourteen Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators on Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court against the solitary confinement of party founder Imran Khan and his wife, besides seeking permission to meet the former prime minister.
Imran has been detained in Adiala jail for more than two and a half years, during which he has faced restrictions on meeting his family and party members. His sisters, along with other close relatives and PTI leaders, have been repeatedly denied permission to meet him, despite court orders permitting such visits.
Read: IHC issues notices on KP CM’s request to meet Imran Khan
Protests outside the jail over these restrictions, including sit-ins on Adiala Road, were met with water cannons by police to disperse protesters, highlighting ongoing tensions over access to the former prime minister.
The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, named the federal government, the Punjab government and the superintendent of Adiala jail as respondents.
He asked the court to “declare that the solitary confinement of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all other prisoners present is devoid of legal authority, in violation of section 73 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 and section 30 of the Prisons Act, 1894 and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary and void.”
It further asked the court to declare that the treatment of Imran, Bushra Bibi and all other prisoners present constituted “cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment” in violation of the Constitution as well as Pakistan’s binding obligations under international standards, and to restrain the respondents from continuing such treatment in any form.
The petition also asked the court to issue “appropriate instructions to formulate and enforce binding guidelines, consistent with constitutional guarantees… and further order the respondents to adopt, implement and adhere to the same, in order to prevent the misuse of solitary confinement and other degrading practices against political prisoners in the future.”
The PTI senators further urged the court to “declare and hold that the persecution of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi is emblematic of a broader pattern of politically motivated victimization of democratic leaders, and declare that the arbitrary resort to solitary confinement and the denial of prisoners’ rights as instruments of political coercion are unconstitutional, impermissible and contrary to the constitutional guarantees of citizenship.”
They requested that the court direct the respondents to allow them to meet Imran periodically, at reasonable intervals, and also to meet him for the “legitimate purpose of verifying and ensuring that the conditions of his detention comply with the requirements of the Constitution, applicable prison laws and regulations and Pakistan’s binding human rights obligations, and that his fundamental rights are being respected and safeguarded.”
Among the other requests, the plea was that the respondents be ordered to immediately end Imran’s solitary confinement and ensure that he is treated strictly in accordance with the law and with due respect to his fundamental rights. Finally, they asked the court to order the defendants to restore Imran’s basic rights and privileges guaranteed to prisoners by law, including, but not limited to, access to books, newspapers, television, and family visitation rights.
The petition argued that solitary confinement was being used as a systemic tool of political coercion, intended to suppress dissent and restrict democratic freedoms.
It further argued that the practice violated both Islamic constitutional principles and Pakistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Convention against Torture.
“The deliberate infliction of psychological suffering through isolation, without legal authorization, directly violates these principles and cannot be sustained in an Islamic Republic governed by law,” the petition states.
Lawyer Gohar urges judiciary to act
Meanwhile, speaking to the media in Rawalpindi, PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan highlighted the continued denial of family visits. “We were trying again to meet the Chief Justice of Pakistan, but he is busy. We were waiting for three hours to meet the Chief Justice. Meeting with the founder [Imran Khan] “It is our constitutional and legal right,” he stated.
Read more: Imran Khan’s meeting with PTI leaders denied again, contempt petition filed in IHC
He also noted that Imran and Bushra Bibi were not granted bail for over a year after their sentencing in the Al-Qadir Trust case on January 17, 2025. “We call on the judiciary to ensure that people get justice at their doorstep. When the doors of justice are closed, people take the law into their own hands,” he added.
Addressing broader political concerns, Attorney Gohar emphasized the importance of reconciliation and dialogue. “PTI supports Pakistan and Pakistan Armed Forces; we support the state. Whenever problems arose in the country, we declared our full support,” he said.
He also stressed the need for peaceful protest. “On February 8 we will record our protest, which will be peaceful. Our call is for people to impose a closure and stop the wheels,” he added.
