Telephonic conversations in prison not allowed under official secrets act: Court told

Attock jail officials in their reply to the contempt of court petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan, told the court that the former premier is not allowed to have telephonic conversations as per the Prisoners Act 1978.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who is incarcerated in Attock jail under the "cipher case", moved the court and filed a contempt petition against jail authorities after they failed to adhere to the court's orders which directed the officials to allow the former prime minister to talk to his sons on phone.

The superintendent on Friday — in his reply to Judge Abual Hasant Zulqarnain — accentuated that jail rules do not allow the accused facing charges under the Official Secrets Act to speak over the phone.

 "According to the Prisoners Act, 1978, prisoners are not allowed to make calls on foreign telephone numbers," he added.

The presiding judge then directed the jail superintendent to present his arguments on September 18 before the court.

Khan has been incarcerated in Attock prison since his arrest on August 05 after a trial convicted him in the Toshakhana case.

After the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, the authorities arrested him in the cipher case wherein he is in judicial custody till September 26.

Last month, he was granted permission by the special court, formed to hear cases registered under Official Secrets Act, to speak to his sons.

However, on Monday he filed a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the Attock jail superintendent for allegedly violating the court's order and denying him permission to speak to his sons over the phone.

The PTI chief, through his lawyers Umair Niazi and Shiraz Ahmed had filed a petition seeking permission to talk to his sons Qasim and Sulaiman — living in London with their mother — on the telephone.

“I want to talk to my sons Qasim and Sulaiman on the telephone or via WhatsApp,” he had pleaded, a request which was approved by the court.

It is important to note that during the government of Imran Khan in 2018, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif wasn’t allowed to speak to his ailing wife who was then battling with cancer in a London hospital.

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz passed away in September 2018 in the UK capital.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and other party leaders have mentioned this on multiple occasions, slamming the PTI government for this “cruelty”.