Veteran journalist and columnist Suhail Warraich has claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan, is likely to be shifted from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi to a newly built federal jail in Islamabad.

 

In his column titled “Amreeki yaatra sab kuch badal deti hai (A visit to the US changes everything)” in Jang Newspaper published on Tuesday, Warraich cited past visits of Pakistani officials to the US, describing how it brought changes in Pakistan’s foreign and interior policies.

 

Calling the recent lunch Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir had with US President Donald Trump in the White House “unusual”, he wrote, “The meeting of Asim Munir with US President Trump surprised everyone.”

 

“I am not an astrologer, but if every past high-level Pakistan-U.S. meeting has had its effects, then it is clearly visible that this time too, everything will change. The first result of this visit has already appeared in the form of the revival of USAID. The first political effect in Pakistan is likely to be that prisoner number 804 will be shifted from Adiala provincial jail to a new federal jail in Islamabad.

 

“The new jail is in the preparation phase and is awaiting its new guest, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior.”

 

On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residence at Zaman Park Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case, and was held in Attock jail.

 
Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Imran Khan was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. 

 

As legal battles continued on multiple fronts, an Islamabad accountability court in January this year convicted Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million case, sentencing them to 14 and seven years imprisonment, respectively. 

As per the 148-page verdict, the former premier was convicted of “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the ex-first lady was convicted of “involvement in illegal activities”. 

 

Currently, Imran Khan is held in jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.