Amidst conflicting claims on both ends, on one hand, Imran Khan’s sisters and PTI are announcing every day that Imran Khan is hardly surviving in Adiala Jail under the worst conditions, while on the other hand, the government has thrice submitted official reports in higher courts claiming to provide unprecedented facilities to Imran Khan in the jail, which were not available to anyone in the history of the country.
The sisters of Imran Khan have not once but on many occasions expressed their apprehensions that Imran Khan would be killed, even though Imran Khan is in jail in corruption cases, not a murder case. PTI claims that the sisters of Imran Khan, lawyers of Imran Khan, and PTI leaders were not allowed to meet Imran Khan; he is suffering from solitary confinement, proper food is not served to him, proper medical treatment is not available, etc.
On the other hand, government-submitted reports in higher courts claim spending Rs 1.2 million on security measures for Imran Khan in Adiala Jail, including a separate CCTV camera system installed for Rs 500,000, distinct from the system overseeing the 7,000 other prisoners.
Khan's meals are prepared by a dedicated cook in a dedicated kitchen under the watchful eye of the assistant superintendent and are subject to inspection by a medical officer or deputy superintendent before being served. A team of over six doctors from Holy Family Hospital is stationed to provide medical care, with additional specialist teams conducting regular check-ups.
Imran Khan occupies two of the seven special cells available, while the remaining five are kept closed for security reasons; typically, 35 prisoners are accommodated in these cells. Adiala Jail typically assigns one personnel member for every ten prisoners. Khan's security detail comprises 15 personnel, including two security officers and three dedicated to his personal security.
A designated area within the jail premises is allocated for Imran Khan's recreational walks, equipped with exercise machines and other amenities. Jail police, Rangers, and district police ensure the security of Adiala Jail, including regular search operations and mock drills.
Both these conflicting claims make it more difficult for the general public to judge whether Imran Khan is really facing the worst conditions or being provided with the best possible facilities in the history of jails in Pakistan.
Recently, on the eruption of Imran Khan’s eye controversy, both the supporters of Imran Khan and his opponents made it almost a sole point of entertainment with their claims on social media.
When the family members live with Imran Khan in these jails, solitary confinement would automatically cease
Under these circumstances, there is only one best option available, which would rid both PTI and the government of all these conflicting claims, and there would be no complaint or claim in the future from either side.
This option lies in a few luxurious jails in the world because usually most of us feel an unsettling clench of dread, imagining prisons like those in Pakistan with worse food, and the situationis pitched between both PTI and the government.
But some prisons are so nice, luxurious, and downright comfy, it almost makes us want to commit a crime just to stay there.
We are enjoying excellent relations with China, while nowadays, President Donald Trump is also praising both Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Gen Asim Munir’s efforts. These two countries can help the government in shifting Imran Khan to any of the three luxurious jails in America and China.
However, there would be a difficult situation for the family members and party members to meet Imran Khan regularly, as is done in Pakistan, but there is a solution offered by these jails themselves, as a few jails accommodate even the family members with the prisoners. This would help the family members, even the sons of Imran Khan, to live with Imran Khan in these jails.
This situation can also resolve one of the most talked-about complaints of the sisters of Imran Khan and PTI, that Imran Khan is suffering from ‘solitary confinement’. When the family members live with Imran Khan in these jails, solitary confinement would automatically cease.
- The Butner Federal Correctional Complex, America: A minimum-security prison in Durham, North Carolina, with great medical facilities, television, classes, and a good behaviour policy where every four hours of work equals two days off, housing white-collar criminals like Enron CEOs and Bernie Madoffs.
- Otisville Federal Correctional Center, America: Upstate New York prison called a "castle behind bars," with sports fields, ribeye and salmon in the cafeteria, HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, cookouts, and family-friendly amenities.
- Qincheng Prison, China: Near Beijing, housing former political leaders, with huge rooms, desks, sofas, individual showers, no uniforms, and relative freedom, including pseudo-gourmet meals.
- Halden Prison, Norway: Called "the most humane prison in the world," with TVs, en-suite showers, views, game areas, rock-climbing walls, and reform-focused facilities for even Norway’s worst offenders.
- Ila Prison, Norway: Hosts notorious mass murderers like Anders Behring Breivik, offering exercise, laptops, sleeping quarters, a library, TVs, video games, and guards without guns.
- Aranjuez Prison, Spain: Families live with prisoners, with rooms for whole families, cribs, child-friendly walls, playgrounds, nurseries, and schooling for children.
- Justice Center Leoben, Austria: Appears like a college with a gym, dining room, shared kitchens, and prisoners wear their own clothes; designed to preserve dignity rather than purely rehabilitate.
- Suomenlinna Prison, Finland: Island prison with huts, shared kitchens, barbecues, ponds, flatscreen TVs, family visits allowed, no uniforms, no locks, cell phones, shopping, and university study; prisoners pay to stay.
- San Pedro Prison, Bolivia: A tourist-attracting walled-off section of a town with restaurants, hotels, children, and marriages; prisoners must pay for their rooms, with free rein inside the prison walls.