The Official Secrets Act Court of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in Islamabad on Tuesday ordered the Adiala Jail superintendent to submit by October 18 the jail’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) with respect to telephonic talk of prisoners, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Filing his reply during the hearing of the petition filed by former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan seeking court order for the jail administration to arrange his telephonic talk with his sons, the jail superintendent refused to provide such a facility to Imran, saying telephonic talk of the people taken into custody under the Official Secrets Act with those living overseas was not allowed.
It was on September 15, 2023 that the Attock jail authorities had refused to allow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to have a telephone conversation with his sons.
In his reply submitted to the court, the superintendent stated that the jail rules did not allow connecting any prisoner via telephone.
The special court judge, Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, while hearing the cipher case against Imran and others, had ordered that the former prime minister be allowed to speak to his sons.
The superintendent in his reply had said that there was no provision in the Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978 that allowed any prisoner to have telephonic conversations outside the country.
Furthermore, as per the letter dated December 6, 2022, prisoners involved in Secret Act, 1923, were not allowed PCO facilities.
Reporter: Farzana Siddique