Published : 01 Sep 2026, 09:31 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:37 AM
An Islamabad high court has directed authorities at Adiala Jail to ensure former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are not kept in solitary confinement.
The court also ordered that Khan be allowed family meetings under jail rules, receive newspapers and books daily, and have access to medical facilities in accordance with prison regulations, India Today reports.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Islamabad High Court Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who ruled that petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of Khan and Bibi were maintainable.
He directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to implement the orders and submit a compliance report within 15 days, the report said.
Justice Soomro had reserved the verdict on Aug 6 on separate petitions filed by Khan's sister Aleema Khanum and Bibi's daughter Mubashra Khawar Maneka.
The court also ordered arrangements for telephone conversations between Khan and his sons, alongside access for family members as permitted under jail rules, said the Indian outlet.
Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following convictions in corruption and other cases that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have described as politically motivated. His relatives and supporters have repeatedly alleged restrictions on his access to family members and adequate medical care, claims rejected by the government.
Bibi was first jailed on Jan 31, 2024, following a corruption conviction. She was released on bail on Oct 24 after nearly nine months in prison but was arrested again on Jan 17, 2025, following another corruption conviction. She remains at Adiala Jail and has since received additional sentences in corruption-related cases.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by Khan's sister Uzma Khan for an early hearing of a contempt petition alleging that government officials failed to comply with an Aug 18 order concerning his medical treatment, Dawn News reported.
The Supreme Court had ordered Khan's transfer to the privately run Shifa International Hospital. However, on the night of Aug 20-21, he was taken instead to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical procedure and diagnostic examinations before being returned to Adiala Jail.
Uzma's petition argued that the move violated the Supreme Court's order, which required Khan to remain admitted at the Islamabad hospital until the next hearing on Sept 16.
The government cited security concerns for the transfer to PIMS.
The contempt petition is now scheduled for Sept 16 before a three-member bench comprising Justices Shahid Waheed, Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim.
The same bench is also due to hear pending matters concerning Khan's health and family meetings.
The high court's ruling on the couple's detention conditions comes as Khan's broader legal battle continues, with his health, medical treatment and access to family remaining before the Supreme Court.1
