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Adiala jail says a family is using visits for political talks, according to the Islamabad High Court.
BY Mahnoor | 13-05-2026
ISLAMABAD:
The head of Adiala Jail is against letting Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, meet with her family or see her own doctor. He claims these visits are being used to send political messages out of the jail.
The jail supervisor told the Islamabad High Court that family visits led to political comments and social media posts, which they said hurt prison rules and safety.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard a case about Bushra Bibi’s daughter, Mubashra Maneka, who asked the court to allow regular family visits, access to her own doctor, and essential supplies.
Islamabad’s top lawyer, Naveed Malik, and Adiala Jail’s boss, Sajid Baig, were present in court today.
The jail report mentioned social media posts supposedly by Bushra Bibi’s sister, Maryam Riaz Wattoo, saying tweets were posted after family visits with the former first lady.
The government said this behavior worried them because of how the prison was being managed and secured.
The lawyer general told the court that the prison boss already decided about prison visits and said no to immediate access. But, he said the ban wasn’t forever and could be looked at again later.
Salman Akram Raja, the petitioner’s lawyer, questioned the reasons given by the jail officials. He argued they refused the meeting because of supposed political talks happening outside the jail.
He argued that Maryam Riaz Wattoo has not been to Adiala Jail and lives in another country. He wondered why her online activity was used to prevent a daughter from seeing her mother.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir then instructed the advocate general to get a sworn statement about the issue from the person involved.
The lawyer general repeated that the prison wasn’t using a total ban, and was following regular prison rules.
At the hearing, Superintendent Sajid Baig told the court that Adiala Jail has about 7,200 prisoners. He also said that meeting times are set up differently based on the type of crime each prisoner committed.
He stated that meetings happened six days a week, Monday through Saturday, following jail rules and the prison’s computer system.
Justice Tahir noted the system seemed well-planned. He said the court wanted to completely understand how it works before making any decisions.
He emphasized that the prison authorities need to closely follow the prison rules and treat everyone equally.
The court stated that it would thoroughly review the case before making a final decision. In the meantime, they instructed officials to help Bushra Bibi meet with her daughter as often as they can.
The hearing is postponed to May 14. All sides must provide clear arguments based on the relevant prison rules.
