ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court has removed registrar office objections to petitions filed against the alleged solitary confinement of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, directing that the petitions be formally numbered while ruling that their maintainability will be decided on the judicial side.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the petitions filed by Aleema Khan and Mubashra Khawar Maneka. During the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar, Salman Akram Raja and other lawyers appeared before the court, while Aleema Khan and Shandana Gulzar were also present in the courtroom.
Barrister Salman Safdar argued that the registrar office objected on the ground that the petitioners were not directly affected parties, despite Aleema Khan being the PTI founder’s sister and Mubashra Khawar Maneka being Bushra Bibi’s daughter, giving them the legal right to file such petitions.
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Citing previous rulings of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Islamabad High Court, he argued that family members of prisoners are entitled to file petitions of this nature.
He informed the court that no meeting with Bushra Bibi had taken place since December, while the PTI founder had been allowed only two meetings under orders from the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court.
He further claimed the PTI founder was being denied access to television and newspapers, adding that both had been kept in solitary confinement for the past seven months, which amounted to inhumane treatment.
During the hearing, Justice Soomro summoned NAB prosecutor Rafi Maqsood to the rostrum. The prosecutor argued that a miscellaneous application regarding solitary confinement had already been dismissed during appeal proceedings, and therefore the matter could not be raised through a constitutional petition but should instead be taken to the Supreme Court.
In response, Barrister Salman Safdar said their application regarding solitary confinement had not been dismissed and stated that if such an order existed, he would present a certified copy before the court, adding that the chief justice’s bench had issued no order on the matter.
After hearing arguments, the court removed the registrar office objections and directed the petitions to be formally registered. At the request of Barrister Salman Safdar, further hearing of the case was adjourned until Tuesday.