Govt downplays ‘non-issue’ as PTI writes to rights organisations on Imran’s condition

The government on Thursday downplayed concerns raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over former prime minister Imran Khan’s eye treatment as a “non-issue” while the party wrote to international human rights bodies over its founder’s alleged jail treatment.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. In addition, he faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the protests of May 9, 2023. The party has expressed concern in recent days over Imran’s health, alleging that jail authorities and the government were obstructing treatment for a “serious eye condition” and demanding immediate medical care.

Read: PTI voices concern over Imran’s eye condition, demands immediate treatment

Opposition leaders, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, also raised the issue on Wednesday, protesting against reports that Imran was transferred to a hospital without informing his family or the party leadership. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed earlier today that the former prime minister was briefly taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for medical treatment.

Speaking in an interview on programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on a private media broadcaster, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said the matter “was not a major event; it was a routine matter that has been blown out of proportion”.

He explained that the Adiala Jail hospital had facilities to treat a variety of medical conditions and that doctors attended to Imran whenever the PTI founder raised complaints, including treatment for tooth pain.

“It is possible that treatment was given there directly, and if equipment was not available or a specialist’s opinion was required, the treatment was provided in the hospital. So it’s a non-issue, a non-event,” he added.

Reiterating his stance, Malik said the matter was routine and did not warrant the political attention it received. He accused PTI and its supporters of attempting to politicise the issue, despite Khan’s consent for the treatment.

Speaking in an interview on programme Capital Talk earlier, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said there was no need to inform the cabinet or other ministers about the matter.

Also Read: Imran Khan taken to hospital for minor eye procedure, confirms Tarar

He said the matter primarily concerned the superintendent of Adiala Jail, who had legal and moral responsibility for the health of inmates.

“Imran has been examined daily by the jail doctor, and if the doctor referred the matter to a hospital or senior specialist considering the severity of the condition, there was no need to inform ministers first before providing treatment,” Sanaullah said.

Accusing PTI of propagating the issue, the PM’s aide added, “If he had a problem, the superintendent would have ensured a check-up. If the doctor recommended a specialist, I see no objection — he received the treatment he was entitled to.”

PTI writes to global rights bodies over Imran’s jail treatment

Meanwhile, the PTI wrote an open letter to leading global human rights institutions, raising serious concerns over what it described as “systematic and escalating violations” of fundamental human rights against its founder.

The letter, addressed to organisations including the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists, alleged “sustained breaches of constitutional guarantees, due process and international custodial standards”.

In the letter, the party said it was “gravely concerned” about the ongoing violations of fundamental rights, constitutional guarantees and due process being perpetrated against its founder.

Most alarmingly, the PTI alleged that Imran “was secretly transferred from Adiala Jail to PIMS Hospital without any prior information to his family members, legal counsel, or party leadership”.

The party claimed that jail authorities, as well as the Punjab and federal governments, “deliberately concealed this transfer and subsequently refused meetings with his family, lawyers, and personal physicians, raising serious concerns about his safety, health, and well-being”.

The letter also referred to claims by Tarar that Imran had requested medical treatment, stating, “If this claim is truthful, PTI demands that Mr Imran Khan’s immediate family (sons and sisters) and personal doctors be given access to Mr Imran Khan forthwith.”

The PTI described the secrecy surrounding the former prime minister’s medical condition and location as a “clear violation of international custodial standards”, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Also Read: Imran’s ‘hospital admission’ worries PTI

The party further accused authorities of denying Imran regular contact with his family and lawyers, and of imposing restrictions amounting to “psychological and physical coercion”.

It also alleged that “his legal appeals against what PTI maintains are politically motivated and legally flawed convictions have deliberately not been fixed for hearing in the Islamabad High Court, effectively denying him the right to due process and access to justice.”

The PTI also claimed that jail authorities had continued to act with impunity despite “clear court orders permitting meetings and medical access”, describing the actions as a “grave constitutional breakdown” that undermined the rule of law and violated Pakistan’s international human rights obligations.

According to the party, the treatment allegedly being meted out to Imran constituted arbitrary detention, denial of due process, inhuman and degrading treatment, and political persecution through the misuse of state institutions.

The PTI warned that “continued denial of lawful access to Imran Khan’s family, lawyers, party leadership, and personal doctors will have serious consequences”, adding that “full responsibility for any deterioration in his health or any resulting public unrest will lie squarely with the federal government, Punjab government, and Adiala Jail authorities.”

It urged global human rights institutions to take immediate cognisance of Imran’s situation, demand unrestricted access for his family and doctors, call for an end to solitary confinement and custodial abuse, and ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings.

Concluding the letter, the PTI said it “remains committed, under all circumstances, to protecting the constitutional and fundamental human rights of its founder chairman, Imran Khan” and appealed to the international community “not to remain silent in the face of these grave violations”.