Barrister Gohar welcomes IHC ruling against Imran Khan's solitary confinement
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan welcomed the ruling, saying the party wanted the court's orders implemented. "We have not met our founder for 320 days," Gohar told reporters.
He said PTI supporters would gather in Islamabad on September 27 to demand their rights, insisting the protest would be peaceful. "We are not coming to break down the gates of Adiala Jail; we want justice to be given to us," he said.
Gohar said the PTI founder had been sentenced seven times, faced 300 cases and had been in jail for three years. He called for Khan to be shifted to a hospital and treated, saying this would help restore an atmosphere of trust.
The PTI chairman also called for political dialogue, saying the party had not received any indication from the government that talks were possible. "Political dialogue is necessary," he said, adding that Khan had never refused dialogue.
Gohar said the opposition was supporting the demand for Khan's treatment and that PTI would ask other political parties to join its planned protest. He also said that Khan's children had the right to speak to their father on WhatsApp.
Gohar said he had not met Khan recently and that his last meeting with the former prime minister was on October 15, 2025.
Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court ordered the authorities to allow family meetings and WhatsApp audio and video calls for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, while directing prison officials to ensure he is not kept in solitary confinement.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro issued a detailed 24-page written decision on petitions challenging the solitary confinement of Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
The court ordered that Khan be allowed to meet his wife and family and that his sons be permitted to speak to him through WhatsApp audio and video calls. The facility may be suspended if the calls are used for political campaigning, according to the decision.
The court also directed the Adiala Jail authorities to allow Khan to walk for one hour each day in accordance with the recommendations of the Medical Board. It said that Khan could not be completely deprived of human contact and conversation on security grounds.
"Security reasons can regulate such contacts but cannot completely eliminate them," the court said, adding that the distinction between legal separation for security reasons and actual solitary confinement depended not on the room provided to a prisoner but on whether they had "reasonable and meaningful human interaction".
The court ordered prison authorities to provide Khan with newspapers, magazines and books for study. Books submitted by petitioners on Allama Iqbal, the Seerat-un-Nabi and history should be provided after security scrutiny, it said. The decision also directed that Khan be provided with the television facility in accordance with the Medical Board recommendations and prison rules.
The court said Bushra Bibi should not be kept in illegal solitary confinement and that the same terms and conditions would apply to her.
At the same time, the court said it would not be appropriate, based on the available record, to conclude that the prisoners had been kept in solitary confinement, but added that it could not ignore the "long-standing ban on human contact".
The Superintendent of Adiala Jail was directed to submit a report on implementation of the decision to the Deputy Registrar Judicial within 15 days.
The petitions were filed by Aleema Khan against Khan's solitary confinement and by Mubashara Maneka against Bushra Bibi's solitary confinement.
Leaders stopped at jail
PTI spokesperson Niazullah Niazi reached Adiala Jail on a scheduled meeting day but was stopped by police at the Dahgal checkpoint. PTI leaders Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, Ali Zaman and Khawaja Farooq Ahmed also reached the jail but were stopped by police at the Factory checkpoint.