On Wednesday, an accountability court in Pakistan adjourned the hearing of the 190 million pounds corruption case against Imran Khan till Friday, citing “security concerns” at the high-security Adiala prison where the ex-pm is presently jailed, said media reports. The court adjourned the hearing till May 17.
Since August 2023, the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The Islamabad accountability court accepted the request of the superintendent of Adiala Jail to adjourn the hearing of the case against ex-pm due to ‘security concerns’, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
In his request, the jail official mentioned reports received by the Punjab Home Department of the threat alerts on jails in Punjab by banned organisations.
Maintaining that the Adiala jail is the most sensitive prison in the province and houses more than 7,000 inmates, the official said that criminals involved in serious crimes, including high-profile political entities, are also imprisoned there.
Security threats were also received for the Dera Ghazi Khan, Rawalpindi (Adiala), Mianwali, and Attock jails, said the request.
Following the reports, security was raised in and around the prison. A mock exercise was also conducted by security forces in jail.
Nearby areas were also being combed by security personnel, said the paper.
The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday imposed a ban on meeting of relatives and others with all inmates in the Adiala Jail for three days owing to security concerns, reported the Dawn newspaper.