ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan has challenged the alleged solitary confinement of her brother, PTI founder Imran Khan, before the Islamabad Steep Court ( IHC), describing his detention conditions as unlawful and inhumane, it emerged on Saturday. The petition, filed through Barrister Salman Safdar, names the Adiala jail superintendent, the inspector general of prisons, the Country-wide Accountability Bureau ( NAB) chairman, the Federal Investigation Agency ( FIA) director general and the executive director of Pims as respondents. The development has drawn significant attention from observers and officials across the country.

Context and History

Understanding what led to this point requires a closer examination of the circumstances involved.

As stated by to the petition, during a lawyers ’ meeting held on April 8, it emerged that Imran had been kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, was allegedly confined in isolation for 24 hours a day.

The petition further contended that no member of Imran ’ s family or the PTI leadership had been allowed to meet him for the past six months.

Compounding the significance of these events, it additionally argued that no judicial order had authorised solitary confinement as part of his sentence, making the continued isolation unlawful.

Reactions and Responses

Analysts are now examining what this development means in both the short and long term.

Aleema claimed that her brother was being subjected to inhumane treatment and informed his legal counsel that his eyesight had deteriorated significantly, with approximately 85 per cent of his vision allegedly affected.

What has become increasingly clear is that the petition maintained that solitary confinement was among the harshest forms of punishment and can not be imposed without legal authority.

Significantly, the petitioner further requested the IHC to declare Imran ’ s alleged solitary confinement illegal and direct the authorities to end the practice.

Policy Implications

The ripple effects of what has occurred are expected to reach well beyond the initial story.

Recently, a petition was filed in the IHC by Bushra ’ s daughter, Mubashra Khawar Maneka, against the alleged solitary confinement of her mother.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter indicate that imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi ’ s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

At the same time, an accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case.

In a detail that has not gone unnoticed, over the past few months, the government and the opposition have been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency in not ensuring appropriate treatment for Imran, and not allowing his personal physicians access to him.

Compounding the significance of these events, they have also raised concerns about a lack of prior knowledge of his hospital visits for treatment.

The Road Ahead

As the full scope of these developments becomes clear, questions about what comes next remain at the forefront. Officials and analysts agree that the situation warrants continued close attention.