Is another judicial murder in the making?
Lawyers cite ICCPR obligations; others defend limited judicial role
Hasnaat Malik
February 13, 2026
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD: A growing chorus within the legal community has voiced serious concern over what it describes as the superior judiciary's failure to ensure the availability of basic rights to former prime minister Imran Khan during his imprisonment.
Senior lawyers say the findings contained in the report submitted by lawyer Salman Safdar regarding Imran Khan's living conditions point to grave violations of the jail manual.
For them, the issue has moved beyond routine prison administration and entered the domain of constitutional guarantees and judicial responsibility.
Lawyer Faisal Siddiqui stressed judges must recognise the gravity of the situation. "Judges should realise that, like Bhutto, this is another judicial murder in the making. The only difference is that this will be a result of judicial inaction, not judicial decision."
However, despite the criticism, one member of the PTI legal team remains optimistic, saying he expects Imran Khan's bail and release from jail soon.
On the other hand, lawyer Sameer Khosa, who has represented PTI in several cases, termed the report a damning indictment of the jail administration, the government and the superior judiciary.
"The jail administration criminally neglected Imran Khan's complaints regarding his eyesight and health," he said.
"The courts failed to ensure adequate access to medical professionals despite several applications to this effect. The government underplayed the seriousness of his condition, the treatment, and his post-treatment condition."
He said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) failed to fix numerous contempt petitions against the previous superintendent of jail, allowing his criminal negligence to continue while depriving meetings with lawyers and family that could have highlighted the issue earlier.