Adiala prisoners cite serious medical conditions, prison rules and recent Supreme Court directions as they seek specialized treatment at private hospitals.
A fresh legal battle over medical treatment inside Adiala Jail has reached the Islamabad High Court, with multiple undertrial prisoners seeking permission to receive specialized treatment at private hospitals outside prison.
The petitions, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, raise a common question: can a prisoner facing a serious medical condition be denied access to specialized treatment outside the prison when the required facilities are allegedly unavailable inside the jail?
The documents show that at least two separate petitions have been filed by prisoners confined at Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, seeking intervention from the Islamabad High Court over their medical treatment.
One petitioner, Awais Altaf, says he is an undertrial prisoner in FIR No. 854/2025 registered at Ramna police station under Section 489-F of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to his petition, he requires specialized rheumatology treatment after medical assessments recorded a history of rheumatic fever, lower-back pain with numbness, polyarticular joint pain and arthritis of large joints.
His medical record, according to the petition, also showed an elevated ASO titre of 845, elevated ESR and CRP levels, while doctors advised an MRI of the pelvis for suspected sacroiliitis and specialized rheumatology care. A cardiology assessment recorded good left ventricular systolic and diastolic function with an ejection fraction of 65%.
Altaf says he approached prison authorities seeking specialized treatment and transfer to a reputable private hospital. His request was rejected through an office order dated Aug. 2, 2026, prompting him to invoke the constitutional jurisdiction of the Islamabad High Court.
In his petition, he has asked the court to direct the constitution of an independent medical board comprising specialists from Shifa International Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital. He has also sought directions for his transfer to a suitably equipped private hospital, preferably one of the two institutions named in the petition.
The second petition presents an even more serious medical situation.
Ilyas Khan, son of Juma Khan, who is also confined at Adiala Jail, has approached the Islamabad High Court after being diagnosed, according to his petition, with Hemophilia A complicated by upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hypovolemic shock.
The petition states that the condition requires specialized hematology and gastroenterology consultations, continuous monitoring and treatment by qualified specialists, facilities the petitioner says are not adequately available at the prison hospital.
Khan says he applied to the Adiala Jail authorities for permission to obtain specialized treatment at a private hospital, including Shifa International Hospital. The petition states that the request was rejected through an office order dated July 11, 2026, on the grounds that treatment arrangements for prisoners were available through government hospitals under the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
The petitioner has argued that continued confinement without access to necessary specialized treatment could seriously worsen his health and create a substantial risk to his life.
Both petitions place considerable emphasis on Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, which provides a mechanism for transferring prisoners to hospitals outside prison when special treatment cannot conveniently be provided within the jail.
The petitioners have also invoked Articles 4, 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution, arguing that incarceration does not extinguish a prisoner’s right to life, security, dignity and equal protection of law.
The legal challenge comes shortly after an Aug. 18, 2026, Supreme Court order cited in the petitions. According to the documents, the Supreme Court held that imprisonment does not deprive a prisoner of entitlement to humane treatment and necessary medical care.
The petitions further state that the Supreme Court, while dealing with a prisoner’s deteriorating health, ordered the prisoner to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, and directed the constitution of a medical board comprising specialists.
The petitioners have therefore argued that their requests are not attempts to secure release from custody or obtain preferential treatment. Instead, they say they are seeking specialized medical care while remaining under the control and security arrangements of prison authorities.
Khan’s petition specifically asks the Islamabad High Court to direct the authorities to arrange a comprehensive medical examination by hematology and gastroenterology specialists and to shift him to a properly equipped private hospital, preferably Shifa International Hospital, Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital or another reputable facility capable of providing the required treatment.
Altaf has similarly requested a medical board, access to his complete medical record and transfer to a private hospital where the required rheumatology facilities are available.
The petitions also rely on the Nelson Mandela Rules, particularly provisions concerning prisoners’ access to necessary health care and specialized treatment.
The legal documents make clear that the prisoners are not asking the court to terminate their custody. Their stated request is narrower: permission to obtain medically necessary specialized treatment outside the prison while remaining subject to lawful security and custody arrangements.
With multiple Adiala inmates now seeking judicial intervention over access to specialized medical care, the Islamabad High Court proceedings could place renewed focus on the balance between prison administration, security requirements and the constitutional right of prisoners to necessary healthcare.
Source note: The uploaded petitions support the identities, medical claims, dates, legal grounds and relief sought above. They are allegations and requests made by the petitioners; the petitions themselves do not establish that the alleged failures by prison authorities have been judicially proved.
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