Inside Adiala Jail, Pakistan's Own Tihar, That Now Holds Imran Khan

Government officials have dismissed speculation surrounding the former Pakistan prime minister's alleged death in custody. Yet the episode has once again turned national attention toward the long-feared Central Jail Rawalpindi, also known as Adiala Jail, a facility synonymous with Pakistan's most dangerous and high-profile inmates.

Imran Khan has remained incarcerated since August 2023, following convictions in a web of corruption cases. The prison that holds him is notorious for housing everyone from extremists and terrorists, crime syndicate heads, foreign convicts, death-row prisoners and the country's most prominent political figures.

A Prison Etched In Pakistan's Political History

The jail's reputation is tied not only to its present but also to its past. In April 1979, former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was executed within the complex. After his death, General Zia-ul-Haq modernised the facility, adding sports grounds, rehabilitation initiatives and educational programmes.

According to Punjab Prisons Department figures, Adiala was designed for just 1,900 inmates but now holds roughly 6,000 people, including women. The Dawn has compared the jail to Delhi's Tihar, noting that both carry a similar notoriety and have experienced significant security lapses over the years.

Overcrowding has forced thousands of prisoners into poorly ventilated, dim cells where disease, malnutrition and even death are threats. Despite jail rules mandating meals with meat, rice and dessert, the reality is different.

Food quality is often substandard due to faulty contracts.

One inmate told Dawn, "The meat reeks of diesel rather than cooking oil. Drinking water is supplied through bore wells which makes the inmates susceptible to numerous diseases."

Following requests from prison officials, the district administration suspended mobile services in a five-kilometre radius, extending as far as the nearby village of Gorakhpur. Local settlements are routinely searched for potential suspects.

Adiala's notoriety once drew international notice when Prince Charles visited the prison while Mirza Tahir, a British national on death row, awaited execution. His punishment was later reduced to life by then-president Pervez Musharraf, after which he was repatriated.

About Imran Khan's Death Rumours

Imran Khan's sisters -- Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma Khan -- earlier alleged that they had been unable to meet him for over three weeks and that they were "brutally" assaulted outside the facility while attempting to visit.

For two days, Khan dominated online discussion after an Afghan outlet claimed the former PM had died in custody. The Afghanistan Times alleged the 72-year-old leader "succumbed to alleged mistreatment" and that his body had been removed from the prison.

Jail authorities countered the report, saying, "There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala jail. He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention."

Government officials also rejected the claims, and Khan's sister Aleema Khan, along with PTI supporters, ended their sit-in once police assured them that visits would be arranged.

Since his arrest, Khan's children, Qasim and Suleman, who reside in London, have repeatedly expressed alarm over his conditions. Speaking to The Independent, Qasim said, "The conditions my father is kept in are extremely harsh. He is confined to what is effectively a death cell, with poor hygiene and no proper facilities. For almost a year now, he has not been allowed to see his personal doctor."

In October, PTI leaders alleged that the former PM had been held in "solitary confinement," adding that, "Unlike the rest of the prisoners, the cell door of Imran Khan remains shut at all times and he is denied any human contact."

The party further claimed his electricity supply had been cut, newspapers withheld and television service disconnected for seven months. Khan has also reportedly been barred from speaking to his children.

According to the PTI, "All of this is not only unlawful but also in violation of prison regulations."