Three Adiala prisoners move IHC to seek private treatment, citing PTI founder case

Must ReadPakistanThree Adiala prisoners move IHC to seek private treatment, citing PTI founder caseBy Hussain Ahmed Chaudhry-Aug 24, 2026Add ARY News on GoogleAAResizeISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a response from Adiala Jail authorities on petitions filed by three prisoners seeking treatment at private hospitals and permission to communicate with family members. Justice Muhammad Asif heard separate petitions filed by prisoners Ilyas Khan, Muhammad Ismail and Awais Altaf. During the hearing, the counsel for one of the petitioners told the court that his client was suffering from haemophilia and had been taken to hospital 10 times over the past two months, but his condition had not improved. The lawyer said the petitioner’s condition could only be treated at Shifa International Hospital and argued that a Supreme Court judgment allows prisoners to be shifted to private hospitals when the required treatment is not available at government hospitals.  According to the counsel, the Supreme Court ruling also clarified that the prisoner’s family could bear the cost of treatment. Citing the judgment, the lawyer requested the court to constitute a medical board to assess the petitioner’s condition. He questioned whether a prisoner requiring a liver transplant should be denied treatment at a private hospital if the procedure was unavailable at a government facility. The counsel further submitted that petitioner Awais Altaf was suffering from fever and a heart condition, arguing that access to adequate medical treatment was a fundamental right of prisoners. He requested that Altaf be shifted to Shifa International Hospital if the required treatment was unavailable at a government hospital. Read more: Founder’s hospital shifting: PTI files contempt plea in Supreme Court Regarding petitioner Muhammad Ismail, his lawyer said he had been incarcerated at Adiala Jail for nine years. One of his brothers lives in Dubai and has not been in contact with him for yea...