Do prison rules allow Imran to write article in foreign publication?

 

No letter shall be delivered to or sent by a prisoner until it has been examined by the Superintendent or an officer authorized by the Superintendent: 546 Prisons Rules says

ISLAMABAD: Did Imran Khan write the January 4 article for British publication ‘The Economist’? As confusion persists over this, both the federal and Punjab governments claim that the published piece was a ‘ghost article’. However, PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan claims the letter was written by the former premier himself. 

 

While Punjab’s jail authorities are investigating the matter, the real question is: do Pakistan’s prison rules allow an inmate to write a letter or article to any publication (national or international)? Can a prisoner be actively involved in politics while in prison? What do the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978 say about the rights of prisoners, their involvement in politics, or if they can write to publications. 

Mustansar 

Talking to The News, Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said that Adiala Jail comes under the Punjab government’s jurisdiction, and as such the provincial government must be investigating this matter. Saying that he believes this was a “ghost article”, the caretaker minister added that “The federal government will approach The Economist and write [to] them that if Imran Khan sends an article/letter following due process and the jail manual then it is publishable. But according to my information, he hasn’t written any such article, and the foreign publication has misled its readers. We are working on it and will soon write a letter to The Economist.”