Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday directed the Attock Jail administration to provide PTI Chairman Imran Khan with “appropriate medical facilities” and allow him to hold meetings with friends and family as provided in the law, a private TV channel reported. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamir Farooq issued a written order on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s applications for shifting him to Adiala Jail, provision of facilities and meeting with lawyers.

The high court chief justice issued a written order. In the order, the court sought a report from the respondents on the “reasons which led to the petitioner’s confinement in Attock jail” instead of Adiala jail. Citing Rule 92 of the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978 (PPR), it noted that “every convicted prisoner is to be allowed reasonable opportunity to interview his relatives, friends and legal advisors for the purpose of preparing his appeal”.

“Every such interview is to be allowed within sight but out of hearing of the prison official supervising the interview.

“It seems that there is nothing on record which bars an interview with the prisoner more than once a week. The jail authorities shall provide reasonable opportunity to the relatives/ friends/legal advisors of the petitioner to seek [an] interview,” the order reads. The court further directed that the PTI chairman be provided with a prayer mat and a copy of the English version of the Holy Quran, as well as “appropriate medical facilities to cater [to] his health and wellbeing”. The order reiterated that the former premier be provided with “all the facilities as per his entitlement” under the PPR. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court also issued a written order on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat’s application for contempt of court.

According to the lawyer, he was not allowed to meet Imran Khan in the jail and instead a case was registered, the order stated.

It further ordered that a copy of the application should be sent to the parties concerned and directed them to submit a response at the next hearing. It also ordered that the case be fixed for hearing along with Imran Khan’s other plea for provision of facilities. On Aug 5, an Islamabad trial court had declared Imran guilty of “corrupt practices” in a case pertaining to concealing details of state gifts and sentenced him to three years in prison. Soon after the verdict, he was arrested by the Punjab police from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

The trial court had ordered the Islamabad police chief to arrest the PTI chairman but he was instead arrested by the Lahore police. Moreover, the court had ordered the Adiala Jail superintendent to receive Imran but he was taken to the Attock Jail.

The PTI chief was given B-Class facilities by the Punjab prisons department. However, his lawyers had claimed that he was being kept in “distressing conditions” and was provided “C-Class jail facilities”.

Imran had subsequently moved the IHC seeking transfer from Attock Jail to a better class in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. The former prime minister also sought permission for regular visits by his legal team, family members, physician Faisal Sultan and political aides to the jail.