In a recent development, six Adiala Jail employees arrested by Law Enforcement Agencies, along with former deputy superintendent Muhammad Akram, who is accused of facilitating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
Among those arrested, three employees are women, including a sweeper, two lady wardens, and three officials responsible for monitoring surveillance cameras within the prison. The LEAs are investigating their roles in allegedly aiding the former prime minister, with reports indicating that the female staff conveyed messages between Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, during his incarceration. Authorities have also confiscated the cell phones of all detained employees.
In response to these developments, the manpower assigned to monitor Adiala Jail has been increased. On August 14, 2024 the arrest of former deputy superintendent Muhammad Akram was confirmed, who had been removed from his position on June 20. His duties were transferred to Deputy Superintendent Judicial Tahir Siddique Shah, tasked with overseeing security for Imran Khan.
The Punjab home department had issued a notification mandating Muhammad Akram to leave his post and report to the Prisons Department in Lahore. Following his arrest, LEAs initiated an investigation into the senior officer from Central Jail Rawalpindi, also known as Adiala Jail. Muhammad Akram is believed to have secretly relayed messages from the jailed PTI leader to individuals outside the prison.
Imran Khan, the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, has been imprisoned for over a year, facing multiple charges, including those related to the Toshakhana case, the cipher case, and an alleged un-Islamic marriage. His wife, Bushra Bibi, has also been in custody for several months.
While a court suspended Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case and overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, hopes for his and Bushra Bibi’s release in July were dashed when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts. Furthermore, the Lahore Police declared his arrest in connection with several cases related to the riots that erupted on May 9, 2023, following his detainment at the Islamabad High Court.
