ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has filed an application in the accountability court of Islamabad, seeking better facilities for him in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

On this application, accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir issued a notice to the superintendent of jail and sought the latter’s reply by Sept 30.

Barrister Sadia Abbasi filed the application on behalf of her detained brother, who has been sent to jail on judicial remand in the LNG terminal case, on Sept 26.

The counsel argued before the court that Mr Abbasi had been given a better class during his detention in Malir jail in 1999.

She pointed out that despite the directive of the court, the jail administration refused to provide better facilities to the former prime minister as well as to former finance minister Miftah Ismail.

The accountability court had on Sept 26 rejected the National Accountability Bureau’s request for extending physical remand of Mr Abbasi, Mr Ismail and former managing director of the Pakistan State Oil Sheikh Imranul Haq and sent them to jail on judicial remand. It directed the jail administration to provide them a better class.

Barrister Abbasi said that the jail administration was not even permitting Mr Abbasi to meet his close relatives. In the application, she requested the court to allow 13 friends and family members to meet Mr Abbasi in jail.

She informed the court that Mr Abbasi had some health issues; therefore, he should be allowed prescribed diet and facilities of air conditioner, refrigerator, television, newspapers, bed, books, toaster and oven at his own expense.

Jail sources, on the other hand, said that the jail administration had sought approval from the home department to provide B-Class to Mr Abbasi. They said that since the home department had not yet responded, the former prime minister had not been given B-Class facilities so far.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2019