Lead
ISLAMABAD — The sister of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has filed a legal challenge against what she describes as his prolonged solitary confinement at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, according to multiple reports published this week.
Aleema Khan submitted a writ petition to the Islamabad High Court on Thursday, May 14, 2026, arguing that the detention conditions violate fundamental rights and are "patently illegal, devoid of lawful authority, and amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment," as reported by Dawn and The Hindu.
The petition alleges that jail authorities have kept the 74-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in isolation for approximately 22 hours daily over the past six months without any court order, according to reports from both outlets.
Coverage Comparison
The legal challenge has been covered by Dawn and The Hindu, with both outlets reporting substantially similar facts. Dawn's coverage focuses on the legal arguments and the petition's specific citations, while The Hindu places the story within a human rights context. No major discrepancies were found between the reports, though The Hindu noted that PTI leaders were denied a meeting with Imran Khan despite court orders — a claim that did not appear in Dawn's coverage.
Separately, both outlets reported on related legal actions: Imran Khan himself filed an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking transfer to Shifa International Hospital and access to personal physicians, and his sister Dr Uzma Khan filed a similar appeal challenging the Islamabad High Court's refusal to grant those requests.
Key Claims
According to the writ petition filed by Aleema Khan, as reported by Dawn and The Hindu, no court sentenced Imran Khan to solitary confinement in either the Al-Qadir Trust case or the Toshakhana-II case. The petition cites Section 73 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Rules 639 and 1019 of the Pakistan Prisons Rules, 1978, stating that solitary confinement can only be awarded by a court and cannot exceed 14 days at a time.
The petition further alleges that Imran Khan lost 85% of vision in his right eye due to a condition for which he was taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital on four occasions, according to both outlets. It states that neither family members nor legal counsel were informed about the nature of the disease or treatment, and that despite repeated injections, his eyesight has not improved. The petition also claims that Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, is being held in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day at the same jail, according to Dawn's report.
A separate Supreme Court petition, filed by Imran Khan and also reported by Dawn, states that he retains only 15% vision in his right eye after being diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion — a blood clot condition. That petition seeks his transfer to Shifa International Hospital, access to physicians of his choice, and the provision of complete medical records.