IHC reserves verdict on pleas by Adiala inmates for Imran-style facilities

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved its verdict on petitions made by three inmates at Adiala jail, requesting treatment at private hospitals and communication via WhatsApp with their relatives. Justice Muhammad Asif held off on a final decision after hearing arguments from the petitioners, their lawyers, and jail authorities.

The inmates, Owais Altaf, Ilyas Khan, and Muhammad Ismail, argued that government hospitals lack the necessary medical facilities for their conditions. The petitions gained importance following the Supreme Court's order on August 18 directing PTI founder Imran Khan to be transferred to a private hospital for medical examination and treatment.

One of the inmates is suffering from a serious bleeding disorder and has developed internal bleeding in the large intestine, which could prove fatal. The lawyer representing the inmates claimed that the prisoners are entitled to equal treatment before the law and questioned why the Supreme Court's directive should not apply to them as well.

Another inmate, Muhammad Ismail, is an undertrial prisoner with a heart ailment. The lawyer argued that the Superintendent of Adiala jail had rejected the request for treatment without consulting a doctor. The court acknowledged the petitions involved two distinct issues: treatment and communication with relatives. Justice Asif emphasized that the authorities could not "play with the illness of a prisoner" and questioned the law's prohibition on prisoners speaking to their family members.