A special court in Islamabad on Tuesday instructed the Adiala Jail authorities to allow PTI founder Imran Khan to hold a telephone conversation with his sons abroad and also be allowed a medical checkup by his personal physician.

Last month, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjum­and approved two petitions filed on behalf of Imran related to the requests. The court had sought a response from Adiala authorities to provide the facilities.

Today, the judge heard a request by the prison authorities against the court order and dismissed it

A report to the judge from the jail superintendent on Monday had called for the court’s orders on January 10 and February 3 to be reviewed and set aside due to “being inconsistent and contrary to the basic rights and principle of recognition of the inherent dignity and equal inalienable rights of inmates”, arguing that extending the two facilities to Imran would be against the spirit of the Constitution, as well as Pakistan Prison Rules.

A court order issued today, available with Dawn.com, said the judgements passed on Jan 10 and 28 and Feb 3 were passed after taking into account all relevant factors and could not be received without any solid reason and thus, the jail superintendent’s request was turned down.

The order instructed the superintendent to “strictly follow” the three orders in “letter and spirit”. The hearing was adjourned to next Wednesday.

A day prior, Imran’s sons — Suleman Khan (28) and Kasim Khan (26) — had called attention to their father’s incarceration. The two, in a rare public appearance, had appealed for his release, claiming that their phone calls were set up with their father at odd times with limited duration, adding that the failure to miss the calls “meant going a long time before they could talk to him again.”

They had further claimed they spoke to Imran only once every two or three months.

Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in the £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023, protests.