Prison reforms committee ‘denied’ access to Imran

ISLAMABAD: The staff of Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, has denied the Prison Reforms Committee access to the quarters of founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi had constituted the Prison Reforms Committee comprising Ahad Cheema and Khadija Shah to visit jails across the country and examine the environment and facilities provided to inmates.

During a recent visit to Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, the committee was denied access to Imran Khan’s quarters. In a letter addressed to the CJP, Khadija Shah apprised him of the incident.

“We were first told that he [Khan] was at a jail trial, and upon insisting that we should be allowed to see where he is being kept to assess the conditions of his accommodation, this request was also turned down,” she wrote. Shah added that DIG Abdul Rauf Rana told the committee that access would not be granted.

“I find this denial of access shocking. As a former prisoner myself, we were allowed to meet all committee and government members who visited Kot Lakhpat Jail to monitor prisoner conditions,” Khadija Shah wrote.

She informed the CJP that the committee’s feedback, including input from Dr. Yasmin Rashid and Aalia Hamza — both former government members and political prisoners — is essential for their report. She requested the CJP arrange another visit to Adiala jail and ensure access to Imran Khan’s quarters to include his feedback in their findings. During the subcommittee’s visit to Adiala jail, Shah said that their delegation met with jail staff, including the superintendent, who provided a guided tour of the facility. “During our visit, we observed that all areas had been prepared for our arrival, presenting a sterile environment. A large contingent of jail staff accompanied us throughout the tour,” she wrote.

The tour included the hospital, women’s barracks, areas for prisoners with mental health issues and substance abuse problems, and death row quarters.

“Our subcommittee is addressing the treatment of prisoners and whether their conditions align with globally recognised standards for prisoner rights as laid down in the Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules,” Shah explained.

She highlighted how the country’s crises over the past two years have been reflected in its prison population, with a significant number of political prisoners contributing to overcrowding.

Shah said that Adiala jail has historically housed many political prisoners and currently incarcerates former prime minister Imran Khan. “Imran Khan is a prisoner like all others, and obtaining his feedback is essential. His insights would provide valuable input for reforms concerning political prisoners and their rights,” she wrote.

Shah reminded the CJP of his explicit instructions to jail administrations to allow the subcommittee unrestricted access to all parts of prisons and prisoners without surveillance or supervision.

Khadija Shah emphasised that the purpose of the committee, comprising two former political prisoners, underscores the relevance of prison reform to Pakistan’s justice system. However, she expressed concern that the actions of the jail administration do not align with these goals. Shah concluded by urging the CJP to ensure that the subcommittee is granted unrestricted access to all prisoners and facilities. Meanwhile, the jail administration claimed that the Prison Reforms Committee was not prevented from meeting anyone. It clarified that the committee’s visit coincided with the PTI founder’s court appearance in the NAB court and that the court does not fall under the control of jail administration.

Asif Mehmood Butt adds: It has been learned that Khadija Shah, a member of the sub-committee on prisons reforms, formed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, was not given access to Imran Khan in Adiala Jail under Rule 560 of the Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978.

Sources said that the law is very clear that the jail superintendent is responsible for arranging a meeting with the prisoner, but he would arrange it only when he was satisfied that the meeting was not against the public interest, and it would not disturb the peace.

Sources said that according to the law, the jail superintendent is bound not to arrange a meeting if there is a risk of disturbance of peace due to the meeting. Sources said that whenever there is a ban on meetings in prisons, it is done under the same rule, that gives the jail superintendent the authority to arrange or not a meeting.

Sources said that under Rule 560, in every case where the jail superintendent refuses to allow a visitor to meet a prisoner, who is normally entitled to visit him under the law, he would record the reasons for it in his order book.

Under Rule 560 of the Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978, the jail superintendent has the discretionary powers to deny permission to a former prisoner to visit a prisoner unless they are related.

Sources said that members of the Supreme Court’s reforms committee were given access to every block and barracks of Adiala Jail. Even high-ranking officials cannot visit every barrack during prison visits. The Prisons Department is part of the state machinery and tries to perform its duties neutrally. Sources said that numerous political activists have been imprisoned in Punjab jails, but no instructions have ever been received from any authority to mistreat or abuse anyone.