Aleema Khan, the sister of Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, has filed a complaint against his purported solitary confinement in prison with the Islamabad High Court.

Aleema Khan listed the jail superintendent, Inspector General of Prisons, NAB chairman, DG FIA, and PIMS medical superintendent as respondents in the plea submitted to the Islamabad High Court.

According to the petition, the PTI founder is being held in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day, while Bushra Bibi is purportedly being held in confinement for 24 hours, according to information revealed during a lawyer’s meeting on April 8. It further stated that for the previous six months, neither a family member nor a party leader had been permitted to meet the PTI founder.

Imran Khan’s appeal in the 190 million-pound lawsuit will be heard by the IHC on June 29.

The petition claims that the PTI founder’s isolation constitutes to cruel treatment and that no court decision identifies solitary confinement as a component of his sentence.

The petition further claimed that Imran Khan told his attorney at a meeting that he had an 85% vision impairment. It said that solitary confinement is one of the most severe types of punishment, even though his sentence never called for it.

Aleema Khan asked the court to rule that the PTI founder’s solitary incarceration was unlawful.

Barrister Salman Safdar filed the petition. Bushra Bibi’s daughter had previously filed a separate appeal against her purported solitary detention.

— Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said it was the responsibility of every member of the House to uphold the dignity of the Parliament.

He spoke to the political history of the 1990s, speaking in the National Assembly, and said the past events are known to everyone. PTI government witnessed several occurrences in the Parliament and asked the MPs to rectify the past mistakes and restore the dignity of the House.

“There is always room for improvement in the Charter of Democracy and it should be addressed and improved,” the minister stated. He also attacked the previous government, saying that 55 legislation were approved in half an hour in their time.

A day before, Prime Minister held dialogue with opposition in the House, Khawaja Asif said adding that both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party have learnt from past.

He further added that during the PTI government no one was permitted to talk to anyone for fear of displeasing the party leadership. “Political and democratic traditions were badly undermined in that period,” he continued.

“PTI has done a lot of damage to democratic norms and damaged the culture of political tolerance,” the defence minister stated.

The government has proposed a Rs283 billion strategy over the next five years to develop a safe, sovereign and innovation-led artificial intelligence ecosystem.

Official records available with Wealth Pakistan reveal that the National AI Ecosystem Development Programme (NAIEDP) will be implemented from 2026 to 2031.

The government has earmarked Rs185 million for FY2026-27 to commence work on the scheme.

The program is expected to be a cornerstone of Pakistan’s larger digital transformation goal and assist position the country to tap into the developing global AI economy.

Among its major objectives, the plan intends to catalyse economic transformation and growth through use of artificial intelligence across sectors.

Furthermore, it aims to back AI companies and innovation, to stimulate the creation of a homegrown technological ecosystem, and to nurture entrepreneurship in emerging technologies.

Another important component of the strategy is sector-specific modernisation through AI applications. The program is expected to promote the application of artificial intelligence in public services, business and other economic sectors to increase efficiency and production.

The materials also describe the creation of AI governance and ethical frameworks for the proper use of the technology. The plan proposes a strategic funding window to enable a rapid reaction to emerging technological possibilities and problems.

The NAIEDP is an important step towards enhancing Pakistan’s technological competitiveness and its long-term digital growth, with an estimated expenditure of Rs283 billion by 2031.