Ask the court to allow meetings with Imran; Barrister Gohar stresses the need to allow peaceful protests
Imran Khan orders to expel absentee lawmakers from polling day for 26th constitutional amendment. PHOTO: PIXABAY
Fourteen Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators on Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court against the solitary confinement of party founder Imran Khan and his wife, along with seeking permission to meet the former prime minister.
Imran has been detained in Adiala prison for over two and a half years, facing restrictions on meeting his family and party members. His sisters, along with other close relatives and PTI leaders, have been repeatedly denied permission to meet him, despite court orders allowing such visits.
Read: IHC issues notices on KP CM’s petition to meet Imran Khan
Protests outside the prison over these restrictions, including sit-ins on Adiala Road, were met with water cannons by police to disperse protesters, highlighting ongoing tensions over access to the former prime minister.
The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, named the federal government, the Punjab government and the Adiala Jail Superintendent as respondents.
It asked the court to “declare that the solitary confinement of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all such other prisoners present is without lawful authority, in violation of Section 73 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 and Section 30 of the Prisons Act, 1894, and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary”.
It further requested the court to declare that the treatment of Imran, Bushra Bibi and all other such prisoners present amounted to “cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment” in violation of the Constitution as well as Pakistan’s binding obligations under international rules, and to restrain the respondents from continuing such treatment in any form.
The petition also urged the court to issue “appropriate directions to frame and enforce binding guidelines, consistent with constitutional guarantees… and further direct the respondents to adopt, implement and comply with the same, to prevent the abuse of solitary confinement and other degrading practices against political prisoners in the future”.
The PTI senators further directed the court to “declare and hold that the persecution of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi is emblematic of a wider pattern of politically motivated victimization of democratic leaders, declaring that the arbitrary resort to solitary confinement and denial of prisoners’ rights as tools of unconstitutional and inconsistent, unconstitutional, the constitutional guarantees of citizens”.
They asked the court to order the respondents to allow them to meet Imran regularly and at reasonable intervals and also to meet him for the “legitimate purpose of verifying and ensuring that the conditions of his confinement comply with the requirements of the Constitution, applicable prison laws and regulations and Pakistan’s binding human rights obligations and that his fundamental rights are respected”.
Among the other requests made by the petition was a direction to the respondents to immediately end Imran’s solitary confinement and ensure that he is dealt with strictly in accordance with the law and with due regard to his fundamental rights. Finally, they asked the court to order the defendants to restore Imran’s basic rights and privileges guaranteed to prisoners under the law, including but not limited to access to books, newspapers, television and visiting rights with family.
The petition argued that solitary confinement was used as a systemic tool of political coercion, aimed at suppressing dissent and curtailing democratic freedoms.
It further argued that this practice violated both Islamic constitutional principles and Pakistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture.
“The deliberate infliction of psychological suffering through solitary confinement, without legal authority, directly violates these principles and cannot be sustained in an Islamic republic governed by law,” the petition said.
Barrister Gohar urges the judiciary to act
Meanwhile, while addressing the media in Rawalpindi, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan highlighted the ongoing denial of family visits. “We again tried to meet the Chief Justice of Pakistan but he is busy. We waited for three hours to meet the Chief Justice. To meet the founder [Imran Khan] is our constitutional and legal right,” he said.
Read more: Imran Khan meeting with PTI leaders rejected again, contempt petition filed in IHC
He also pointed out that Imran and Bushra Bibi were not granted bail for over a year after their verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case on January 17, 2025. “We request the judiciary to ensure that people get justice at their doorstep. When the doors of the court are closed, people take the law into their own hands,” he added.
Barrister Gohar addressed broader political concerns and emphasized the importance of reconciliation and dialogue. “PTI stands with Pakistan and the Pakistan Armed Forces; we stand with the state. When the country’s issues arose, we declared full support,” he said.
He also stressed the need for peaceful protests. “On February 8, we will take up our protest which will be peaceful. Our appeal is for people to enforce a shutdown and stop wheels,” he added.
