Pictures of Imran Khan's cell shared on social media by his political party
Islamabad:
Pakistan's government told the country's Supreme Court that the cell of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has adjacent walking space and is equipped with amenities such as a cooler, a television, a separate kitchen and exercise equipment.
Khan, 71, has been lodged in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since September last year. He was transferred to the prison from Attock District Jail, where he had been lodged since his arrest on August 5, 2023, after being convicted in the Tosha Khana corruption case.
The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party went to the Supreme Court on May 30 and complained to the Chief Justice that he is living in solitary confinement and the government is restricting his access to lawyers and family members.
Image posted by @PTIofficial on X
The government, in its response to the Supreme Court, denied the defendant's allegations by submitting a list of facilities enjoyed by the defendant and attaching photographs of his cell and other items as well as photographs of his meetings with his legal team inside the prison.
The government said Khan had access to a walking area adjacent to his cell, an in-room cooler, a television, a separate kitchen for reading, a desk with a chair to study and exercise equipment.
The government also released a list of people who had met with Khan to refute claims that he was being held in solitary confinement, and suggested it could set up a committee to investigate the allegations, if necessary.
Earlier, the government had formalised standard operating procedures (SOPs) in March to facilitate meetings with convicted former prime ministers. According to the SOPs, PTI leaders lawyers Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat and lawyer Umair Ahmad Khan Niazi have been appointed as the persons in charge of coordinating prison visits.
Khan was due to be allowed two visits with family and lawyers on Tuesday, while one visit on Thursday will be reserved for “attorneys/friends.”
Anyone planning to visit Khan must coordinate with prison authorities through designated personnel, who must submit a visitor list of two people per personnel, adhering to the six-person limit, the day before the planned visit.
Meanwhile, in a WhatsApp message, PTI shared a photo of Khan's cell released by the government and claimed, “It is a photo of the cell in which former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being kept in solitary confinement.”
The party said this contradicted its assertion that the former prime minister was entitled to an “A” class cell with an air-conditioned room and a carer to help him with errands.
“Although Khan never complained about being held in a facility with no natural light or windows, the evidence suggests that government agencies have lied all this time and kept him in solitary confinement that costs more than $1 million per month,” PTI reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
