In a significant development today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued an order to transfer Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to Adiala Jail. The decision was made during a hearing related to the provision of prison facilities for Imran Khan.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq pointed out that Imran Khan is an under-trial prisoner in the cipher case, and all under-trial prisoners in Islamabad are normally held at Adiala Jail. He questioned why Imran Khan was being detained at Attock Jail instead of Adiala Jail, emphasizing that prisoners’ trials should be conducted at the designated prison.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq stated, “If tomorrow, you transfer [him] to Rahim Yar Khan, would the trial be held there?” He directed Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Dogar to provide clarification on the matter.
During the hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat, requested that his client be provided with an exercise machine. Justice Farooq acknowledged that the prison classes had changed, and Barrister Salman Safdar, representing Imran Khan, asserted that Imran Khan was entitled to the better class as a former prime minister and educated individual. The chief justice emphasized that Imran Khan should receive the facilities to which he is entitled, and his rights should not be violated.
In a separate development, before the formal hearing of Imran Khan’s post-arrest bail plea in the cipher case, the IHC reserved its decision on the request for in-camera proceedings at the request of Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi. The trial is being conducted under the Official Secrets Act, and security concerns were cited as the reason for holding the trial within the jail premises.
Both former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi are currently in custody in connection with the cipher case. The court’s decision on the bail request is eagerly anticipated, and Justice Farooq noted that court hearings would now be live-streamed for the world to witness.
This development marks a significant legal move in the ongoing legal proceedings involving Imran Khan, and it is expected to have broader implications for his case.
