Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi move IHC to seek 'jail amenities in line with int'l standards'

• Couple seeks "implementation of int’l conventions for political inmates”.
• Petition prays IHC to summon details of individuals meeting jailed ex-PM.
• FIA, NAB, Islamabad IG, and other made parties in new IHC petition.

ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to get jail amenities in line with international standards.

The former prime minister and the ex-first lady filed a petition in the IHC on Monday to seek high-quality facilities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail via their lawyer Azhar Siddique.

Secretaries of cabinet, interior and law were made parties in the plea. Moreover, the IHC was also prayed to add the Punjab chief secretary, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and Islamabad Inspector General (IG) as parties in the case.

The petition sought superior jail facilities for Imran, Bushra and other political prisoners besides looking towards the high court to summon a detail on the duo’s prison cells and facilities.

Additionally, the IHC was prayed to order the Adiala Jail administration to ensure the implementation of international conventions, constitutional sections and jail rules for the political inmates.

It was also requested that a complete list of those persons who wanted to meet the jailed PTI founder at the Rawalpindi jail should be summoned, as well as a report on the duration of their meetings.

The lawyer, in his petition, also pleaded with the court to ascertain the reasons from relevant authorities if the ex-premier was kept in solitary confinement.

The fresh petition was filed after the deposed prime minister, who was ousted from his office via a no-confidence in 2022, claimed in an interview with The Sunday Times through his lawyers that he was imprisoned in a death cell, where "terrorists" are kept to ensure "they have no contact with anyone".

However, the federal cabinet rejected the jailed ex-premier's claims a day ago and termed his prison cell a "presidential suite" which is "better than a middle-class person’s house".

As Imran remains behind bars, he has kept claiming that he's not being provided several facilities, but to set the record straight, the government submitted documentary evidence of facilities being provided to the PTI founder in Adiala jail, rebutting his claims that he was being kept in solitary confinement.

The pictures shared with the court showed that the PTI founder was provided with several facilities that a common prisoner cannot imagine — since he's a former prime minister.

Imran has an exercise bike and stretching belt for physical fitness, books, a separate kitchen, a special menu, an exclusive gallery for a walk, LED, a room cooler, and a study table.

The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison for almost a year in a plethora of cases, including the Toshakhana, cipher, and the un-Islamic marriage cases. His wife has also been behind bars for months.

However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.

While there were hopes for Imran and Bushra's release in July, they were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts.

The chances of Imran's release from jail further dimmed after the Lahore police declared his arrest in several cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots, that erupted after his detainment from the IHC premises last year in which protesters targeted government and military installations.