ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan has petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to challenge the alleged solitary confinement of her brother, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, describing his detention conditions as unlawful and inhumane.
The petition, submitted by Barrister Salman Safdar, lists the Adiala jail superintendent, the inspector general of prisons, the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) as respondents.
According to the filing, a lawyers’ meeting on April 8 revealed that Imran Khan had been kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours each day, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, was reportedly confined in isolation for 24 hours a day.
The petition further alleges that no member of Imran’s family or PTI leadership has been permitted to meet him for the past six months and that no judicial order authorises solitary confinement as part of his sentence, rendering the practice unlawful.
Aleema Khan asserts that her brother is being subjected to inhumane treatment and reports that his eyesight has deteriorated significantly, with approximately 85 percent of his vision affected. She emphasizes that solitary confinement is among the harshest forms of punishment and cannot be imposed without legal authority.
The petitioner asks the IHC to declare the alleged solitary confinement illegal and to order an immediate end to the practice.
A separate petition has been filed in the IHC by Bushra’s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, challenging the alleged isolation of her mother.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since 5 August 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts and is serving a 14‑year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the case also known as the Al‑Qadir Trust case.
An accountability court in Islamabad sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years, respectively, on 17 January 2025. Both have since challenged their convictions before the IHC.
The IHC has scheduled a hearing of the couple’s appeals for Monday.
The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs 50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.
Imran’s eye condition, right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), was disclosed in late January. Under government‑provided treatment, his first procedure occurred on 24 January, with the fifth performed on 15 June.
A medical report from a team that examined Imran on 15 February found that, without glasses, his right eye had 6/24 partial vision and his left eye 6/9. With corrective lenses, his vision improved to 6/9 partial in the right eye and 6/6 in the left.
In recent months, the government and opposition have exchanged accusations, with the opposition alleging a lack of transparency regarding Imran’s treatment and denying his personal physicians access, claims the government denies.
The PTI and Imran’s family continue to demand that he be allowed to see his own doctors and receive treatment at a hospital of his choosing, citing concerns over the adequacy of his medical care.