The Islamabad High Court on Thursday declared the ban on political discussions among prisoners as conflicting with constitutional provisions.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan issued the ruling in response to a petition filed by Sher Afzal Marwat, stating that the absolute prohibition on political conversations violates the constitutional rights to association and freedom of expression. This ruling comes in light of restrictions on meetings between leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the party’s founder, Imran Khan, which were attributed to this specific jail rule.
Separately, the IHC has instructed the Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail to ensure that Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, is provided with all the facilities he is entitled to according to the jail manual. The hearing was held in response to a request by Noreen Niazi for better facilities for the PTI founder in jail. The DIG of Prisons and the Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail appeared in court. The Deputy Superintendent informed the court that all facilities have already been provided to the PTI founder under jail rules.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir asked, “Who from the Prisons Department is present?” DIG Prisons Abdul Rauf responded that he is the DIG and mentioned that meetings with the PTI founder have already begun. The Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail reported that lawyers and family members visited the previous day, and all facilities have been provided.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir asked, “Where is lawyer Shoaib Shaheen? He will confirm whether the facilities have been provided.” The hearing was adjourned until Shoaib Shaheen arrived in court. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also directed that the PTI founder be provided with newspapers.
Meanwhile, the IHC has disposed of the request from the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, to meet the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court heard the petition regarding Gandapur’s request. The court dismissed the request, noting that there were no restrictions on his meeting.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir remarked, “You can check on this; no further requests should come here.” The Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail mentioned that coordinators had been appointed, and there are no restrictions on Ali Amin Gandapur meeting Imran Khan. He added, “The coordinator, Intazar Panjotha, has unfortunately been kidnapped.”
The Deputy Superintendent informed the court that besides him, Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja were also involved. The coordinators usually finalize the list beforehand, and meetings still take place in the jail. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir inquired why restrictions were imposed on meetings.
The Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail responded that the Ministry of Interior enforces such restrictions due to security concerns. Moreover, Imran has filed for post-arrest bail in the Toshakhana-II case at the IHC. Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb is scheduled to hear the bail application on Friday.
Currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, the PTI founder has requested the court to grant him bail until the completion of the trial. This application follows the court’s earlier approval of bail for Bushra Bibi, the founder’s wife, in the same case. Following Bushra Bibi’s release on bail, the PTI founder submitted his own bail request.
However, the registrar’s office raised objections regarding his application, which Justice Aurangzeb will address during the upcoming hearing.
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