• Court directs all respondents to submit replies before the next hearing
• Jail superintendent says former prime minister is under strict surveillance and has no access to mobile phones or internet

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed January 21 for hearing a petition seeking the closure of the X (formerly Twitter) account of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

The court fixed the hearing for the said date and directed all parties to submit their responses. It noted that the Adiala jail authorities have already filed their reply, while the remaining respondents were asked to submit their responses before the next date of hearing. Salman Akram Raja is representing the PTI founder in the case.

In its written reply, the Adiala jail superintendent categorically denied that PTI founder’s X account is being operated from inside the prison. The jail authorities informed the court that Imran Khan is under strict surveillance and has no access to any prohibited device, particularly mobile phones.

The reply stated that mobile signal jammers have been installed inside the jail and in surrounding areas, rendering the use of mobile phones or internet facilities impossible for any inmate. It added that under jail rules, Mr Khan is barred from engaging in political discussions, though some visitors allegedly violate these restrictions by initiating political conversations during meetings.

The superintendent recalled that political instructions previously at­­tributed to the former premier had contributed to social unrest, but insisted that no such communication is now possible as Mr Khan has no access to any mobile or internet-enabled devi­­ce. He str­essed that the X account associated with the PTI founder “is not being operated from the jail” and that its activity “is clea­rly being managed from outside”.

According to the reply, the prisoner is receiving only routine facilities permissible under jail rules or as ordered by the court, none of which include any digital or online communication privileges.

The statement was submitted in response to a petition filed by a citizen, Ghulam Murtaza, through Barrister Zafarullah, alleging that despite being incarcerated, Imran Khan is issuing illegal and provocative messages from his X account.

‘FIA quizzes Imran Khan’

In October last year, a detailed statement posted on the PTI founder’s official X account clai­med that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials quizzed Imran Khan inside the prison about his alleged “anti-state” tweets, criticism of foreign policy and other matters. Although Mr Khan does not have access to his X account while in jail, the post outlined five key areas of questioning and his responses.

According to the statement, the PTI founder has been repeatedly questioned about his social media activity and has previously refused to answer queries in the absence of his lawyers. The post also alleged psychological torture through solitary confinement and denial of basic prison facilities.

The statement claimed that the first question put to the former prime minister concerned the content of his X account.

It further claimed that FIA of­­ficials questioned Mr Khan about his focus on Afghanistan and foreign policy. In response, he bla­med the current army chief, alle­ging that threats to the new Afg­han go­­vernment destabilised the sit­u­ati­­on. He also criticised the forced ex­­­pulsion of Afghan refugees and drone strikes, claiming these act­ions damaged bilateral relations and undermined peace.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2026