Adiala Jail official in hot water for 'facilitating' Imran

RAWALPINDI:

Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail Muhammad Akram has landed in hot water after being detained on allegations of aiding incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Akram was shown the door on June 20, with Deputy Superintendent Judicial Tahir Siddique Shah stepping in to take on as the new security supervisor for Imran Khan.

The Punjab Home Department (Prison Section) issued a notification that not only removed Akram from his post but also instructed him to report to the Prisons Department in Lahore.

Law enforcement agencies have begun interrogating the senior officer, who has served. Reports suggest that Akram is accused of secretly relaying messages from the jailed PTI founder to the outside world.

Upon completion of the probe, Akram is expected to face departmental action.

The former prime minister has been imprisoned for over a year on various charges, including the Toshakhana case, cypher case, and allegations of unIslamic marriage. His wife, Bushra Bibi, has also been in custody for several months.

Although a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case and other convictions related to the cypher and Iddat cases were overturned, hopes for their release in July were thwarted when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested them on new charges concerning the sale of state gifts.

Imran Khan's prospects of release have further dimmed following additional arrests by Lahore Police related to the May 9, 2023 riots. These riots erupted after his arrest from the Islamabad High Court premises last year, during which protesters targeted government and military installations.