The Attorney General argues that the Superintendent of Prisons has the authority to decide what facilities a prisoner should and should not have
Bushra Bibi addresses PTI supporters along with KP-CM Ali Amin Gandapur and Leader of Opposition Omar Ayub. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its judgment on a petition seeking family meetings with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, access to her personal doctor and delivery of essential items.
The case heard by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir related to a petition filed by Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Maneka. The petition sought permission for regular family meetings, access to a private doctor and the provision of essential items.
During the hearing, lawyer Salman Akram Raja argued that meetings with Bushra Bibi had been severely restricted despite her medical condition.
“The meetings were arranged on April 17; that was the day her surgery was done,” Raja told the court. “This was an emergency meeting which only lasted a few minutes”.
He said the last regular weekly meeting took place on February 24, after which no routine meetings were allowed for seven weeks, with only emergency meetings allowed.
Questioning the restrictions, Raja asked, “What violation of Rule 265 has Bushra Bibi committed?”
He argued that the restrictions were unjustified, adding that it was an admitted fact that Bushra Bibi was ill and had undergone surgery.
Read: The prison rejects the daughter’s plea to meet Bushra
He added: “Their whole case is that there are some tweets by Maryam Wattoo due to which meetings are not allowed. Whenever they want, they stop meetings,” he said.
Referring to material presented in court, he stated: “Maryam Riaz Wattoo’s Twitter account was mentioned in court. They presented tweets of Maryam Riaz Wattoo, but that woman is not even in Pakistan”.
“If there is no connection, then there is no need to read her tweets,” Justice Tahir observed.
The court had earlier ordered Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig on May 4 to decide within two days an application filed by Bushra Bibi’s daughter regarding medical access and family visit and meet in person on May 6.
Baig, in a written report submitted to the IHC on Wednesday, opposed the request, stating that family meetings were followed by public political statements and activities on social media, which the administration said affected prison discipline and security.
The report submitted by prison authorities specifically referred to social media posts attributed to Bushra Bibi’s sister, Maryam Riaz Wattoo, and claimed the tweets were shared after family meetings with the former first lady.
The lawyer further said that the matter had been going on for years and the defense counsel had repeatedly appeared before the courts for three years.
“We are told that it is the ‘king’s’ order that meetings cannot take place,” he added. “I don’t know if this is the wisdom of the warden or if they are acting under some order,” he said.
“When they feel like it, they keep her in solitary confinement for two to three months,” he added.
After his arguments were concluded, Advocate General Islamabad Naveed Hayat Malik presented the government’s position, arguing that prison authorities have discretionary powers over prison facilities and that the Superintendent of Prisons has the discretion to decide what facilities a prisoner can and cannot have.
Read more: IHC summons Adiala jail superintendent in Bushra Bibi case, seeks doctor, visit reports
He raised objections to the maintainability of the petition and said it was “not maintainable” as the petitioner had an alternative forum available, viz., the Superintendent of Jails against the order of the Superintendent of Jails.
He further said that the prisoners are required to maintain good behavior and disciplinary action may be taken in case of violations.
“We are bound by the law; there is no king here, everything is done according to the law,” adding that no meeting can take place without the permission of the prison superintendent.
Malik also claimed that a statement made by lawyer Salman Akram Raja was already on record and that he would not speak to the media after jail meetings.
Raja denied this and said no such statement had been made. He clarified that his position was limited to not speaking outside the prison gate after meetings. He further told the court that he had been advised to speak elsewhere, adding, “You yourself told me that I could speak in the chamber or elsewhere,” he said while addressing Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir.
Malik insisted that an undertaking existed; However, Justice Tahir responded by noting that he was familiar with the order, saying, “I wrote this decision myself, I know that.”
After arguments from both sides, the court reserved its judgment.
Imran and Bushra Bibi remain incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. They were sentenced on 20 December 2025 to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, which relates to allegations that the couple illegally kept a Bulgari jewelery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Bushra Bibi was moved back to Adiala prison on April 17 after a crucial eye operation in Rawalpindi, as concerns over her health continue to ripple through political circles. According to prison officials, ophthalmologists diagnosed retinal detachment, a condition that requires immediate intervention.
She was shifted to a private hospital on the evening of April 30, where she underwent pre-operative tests and subsequently consented to surgery. The procedure was performed by Professor Dr. Nadeem Qureshi along with a medical panel after which she was discharged after an overnight stay and returned to custody.
Concerns about her condition had already grown after a document dated March 28 surfaced online indicating that a doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences had examined her and noted a “history of blurred vision and a black spot in the right eye for the past 11 days”.
