Medical, talk to families: IHC reserves verdict on petitions filed by 3 Adiala Jail prisoners
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on petitions filed by three Adiala Jail prisoners seeking transfer to private hospitals for medical treatment and permission to speak with their families abroad by telephone. A single-member bench of IHC Justice Muhammad Asif on Thursday reserved the decision after hearing arguments from the petitioners’ counsel, Advocate General…
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) postponed its decision on petitions from three Adiala Jail inmates who requested to be transferred to private hospitals for medical treatment and to speak with their families overseas via telephone. A solitary-member panel of the IHC, Justice Muhammad Asif, postponed the ruling after hearing arguments from the petitioners' lawyers and the Attorney General for Islamabad and Punjab, both of whom opposed the petitions.
The petitioners—Ilyas Khan, Muhammad Ismail Khan, and Owais Altaf—had brought their case to the court citing a Supreme Court directive regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s medical care at a private facility, seeking comparable relief for their own health concerns. Their lawyers contended that the necessary treatment was not readily available from government institutions and asked for their transfer to Shifa International Hospital.
During the hearing, Justice Muhammad Asif expressed concern that authorities could be neglecting a prisoner's health, questioning whether it was permissible to withhold medical treatment from an inmate with a serious ailment. He also raised doubts about denying telephone access to an inmate with no known family members in Pakistan.
The Attorney General for Islamabad argued that the government was not seeking to refuse treatment, citing constitutional rights under Articles 9, 14, and 25, and stated that the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) possessed the requisite resources for prisoner healthcare. The petitioners, however, maintained that their medical conditions necessitated specialized care only available at private hospitals.
The court took note of the medical officer's assessment as part of the report submitted by the Adiala Jail Superintendent. Justice Muhammad Asif also indicated that the condition of PIMS should be reviewed, instructing both attorneys to visit the institution. During the hearing, an unexpected individual entered the courtroom—armed with a claim to be an affected party in one of the prisoners' cases and requested to join as a party through a miscellaneous application.
The court instructed him to take a seat. Following the arguments from both sides, the court reserved its judgment.
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