Islamabad:
Islamabad High Court has issued messages to the federal and provincial authorities of a petition seeking permission for Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf’s imprisoned founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to hold conjugal meetings in prison.
In response to the petition, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir directed Tuesday Islamabad -Chief Commissioner, Punjab government, Inspector General for Prisons and Prison Superintendent to respond to the placement of a citizen, Shahid Yaquub.
The petitioner claimed: “In accordance with section 545-A in the prison rules 1978, family life is supported. By not providing this facility, the prison authorities violate the law.” His lawyer added that inmates have the right to meet their spouses in prisons.
Read more: Prisoners assigned conjugal rights
Yaqub claimed the couple’s right to marital relationship was denied. “Prisoners must be allowed to meet their wives or men in prisons. To deny this court, international laws and Supreme Court decisions,” the petition said.
The court postponed the hearing until September 30 after seeking answers from the parties. Neither Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi nor PTI are equivalent or respondents in the case. PTI has already distanced itself from the application.
Procedure for conjugal visits to prison
There is a legal process for a prisoner to meet the spouse. The inmate or spouse must first apply to the imprisonment superintendent. If the permit is rejected, the application can be taken to the Deputy Commissioner.
In the event that the Deputy Commissioner also rejects it, an application may be submitted in the relevant trial. If the trial rejects the request, the case can be taken to High Court.
Such meetings require a designated family room inside the prison. However, according to sources, Central Prison, Adiala, does not currently have a facility for spousal meetings.
What is conjugal visits?
Contrary to what one believes in Pakistan, prisoners also have rights. One of these is the right to conjugal visits, which allows married inmates to meet their spouses in privacy while serving the verdict.
In such visits, prisoners and spouses get a space to spend time together. In Sindh, after a Supreme Court Report on Prison Reports and Conjugal Rights, the province’s home department issued a 2010 review that spouse of a prisoner would be allowed to meet them either during the day or at night once every three months.
Imran Khan’s arrest and 9 May riots
The former prime minister was subjected to office in 2022. A year later, he was arrested in his conviction in the Toshakhana case and received a three-year prison sentence.
In 2024, a special court formally accused Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the so-called Toshakhana 2.0 case and elaborated on their legal issues.
After his arrest, riots broke out nationwide, with party leaders and workers staged protests that targeted both civilian and military installations, including Jinnah House and the general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The military condemned the events as a “black day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act. As a result of the turmoil, many PTI members were arrested and tried in military courts.
In December, a military court sentenced 25 individuals, including Imran Khan’s nephew, Hassan Khan Niazi, and later sentenced 60.
Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi convicted in £ 190m case
Earlier this year, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in the case of 190 million pounds. Imran was sentenced to 14 years in prison while Bushra Bibi received a seven-year prison period. The judge of the responsibility Nasir Javed Rana announced the order in a courtroom inside the Rawal Pindis adiala prison.
In addition to prison sentences, the Court introduced fines of RS1 million on Imran and RS500,000 at Bushra. If the fines are not paid, Imran earns an additional six months in prison and Bushra Bibi faces another three months.
What is the case of 190 million pounds?
The case claims that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted RS50 billion – equivalent to £ 190 million at that time – transferred by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government.
As Prime Minister, Imran obtained cabinet approval for this solution on December 3, 2019 without revealing the confidential details of the deal.
The event had determined that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court. According to Nab officials, he and his wife received land worth billions of rupees intended for the construction of an educational institute.
ALSO READ: Imran, wife booked in forgery case over Toshakhana Watch
Nab filed the referral on December 1, 2023 against eight accused persons, including Imran and his wife. The court on January 6, 2024, declared the rest of six accused offenders as they did not face the trial and escaped abroad.
The court appealed to Imran and Bushra on February 27, 2024. The most important witnesses in the case included PM’s former Secretary of State Azam Khan, former Defense Minister Perez Khattak and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
Three different judges presided the case in different stages of the trial, while final investigative officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, was crossed after 38 hearings.
The right of responsibility gave the defendant 15 options to make their statements in accordance with section 342. However, no witnesses were presented by the Armed Forces.
