A day after the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order, authorities on Tuesday shifted incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail from Attock prison following high drama.
A day earlier, IHC CJ Aamer Farooq expressed his annoyance over keeping an ‘under-trial prisoner’ in Attock jail instead of Adiala jail and directed the concerned authorities to move Khan — who is currently serving a three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case. — to the Adiala jail.
Confusion arose as officials of Adiala jail denied reports of the former prime minister’s shifting to the prison after his lawyers made such claims.
Hours after the IHC directed the authorities concerned to move Khan to Adiala prison from the Attock jail, where he had been incarcerated for over a month, the members of his legal team said that the orders had been complied with.
Naeem Panjhota, who is the spokesperson of Khan on legal affairs, claimed that the ousted premier — who was removed from power via a parliamentary vote in April last year — had been shifted to the prison in Adiala.
However, the Adiala jail administration refuted the claim, saying that Khan had not yet been shifted there.
Later, taking to X — formerly known as Twitter — Panjhuta said that he had been informed that Imran Khan had been shifted to Adiala jail but “it is beyond understanding that Attock jail [authorities] are also saying that they have PTI chairman.”
Earlier today, heavy contingents of police reached the Attock jail to shift Khan to the Adiala prison. An 18-vehicle convoy — including 15 vehicles of Islamabad police, two armoured vehicles and an ambulance escorted Khan from Attock to Adiala jail via motorway.
Attock jail notification declared ‘null and void’
In a separate hearing today, the IHC declared null and void the authorities’ notification to keep the PTI chairman in Attock jail.
In a written order, IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq approved the request to transfer Khan to Adiala jail. The court stated that the PTI chief had been sentenced to three years in the Toshakhana case.
The trial court had directed keeping the PTI chief in Adiala Jail, but due to security concerns, he was transferred to the Attock jail to complete his sentence on the recommendation of the Inspector General of Prisons.
Despite the suspension of his sentence in the Toshakhana case by the IHC on August 28, the former prime minister remained incarcerated in the prison as he was also arrested in the cipher case.
The additional advocate general of Punjab stated that shifting Khan to Adiala jail poses a security risk. Under-trial prisoners of all cases registered in the federal capital are kept in the Adiala jail, while only convicted prisoners can be shifted to any jail in Punjab.
The court said that Khan, as a former prime minister, is entitled to better class facilities in jail.
In its written order, the court stated that the PTI chairman’s lawyer had requested the provision of gym equipment to his client in jail; however, the court said it cannot issue such instructions because it is not clear whether such facilities are allowed or not.
The superintendent jail, the court said, is the authorised authority in this regard, and appropriate requests should be filed with them.
