The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday postponed the hearing of petitions seeking to declare the alleged solitary confinement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, unlawful.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, presiding over the case, stated that the matter would be addressed following the conclusion of proceedings before a division bench. The petitions were filed by Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, and Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Maneka.
During the hearing, the couple’s legal representative, Barrister Salman Safdar, highlighted that the issue of solitary confinement had already been raised in previous court proceedings. He noted that the prosecution had admitted during an earlier hearing that this matter was part of an appeal.
Safdar informed the court that he had brought the relevant documentation to present as evidence. He also mentioned that miscellaneous applications had earlier been submitted to secure signatures on powers of attorney, citing solitary confinement as a key concern in those applications.
He added that if the vakalatnamas (legal authorizations) had been obtained, he would have filed the petitions directly on behalf of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. Furthermore, Safdar emphasized that the court’s earlier order did not address the substantive merits of the solitary confinement allegations.
The lawyer further argued that Imran Khan, aged 74, had suffered vision loss in one eye and had been hospitalized five times recently. He claimed that no meetings were being permitted with Khan, who reportedly was subjected to solitary confinement for 22 hours daily, while Bushra Bibi was allegedly confined for 24 hours each day.
“Imran Khan has been kept in solitary confinement for the past seven months, which is deeply concerning,” Safdar stated. He also asserted that both Khan and Bushra Bibi had been denied access to newspapers and television despite having undergone eye surgeries.
Following these arguments, Justice Soomro adjourned the hearing until the division bench completes its proceedings.
