ISLAMABAD:
Heated scenes unfolded in the Senate on Thursday after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators staged a protest over Imran Khan’s health, placing his photographs on their desks, prompting objections from treasury members and ultimately forcing the chair to adjourn proceedings.
The confrontation followed remarks by Opposition Leader and Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who told the house that PTI founder Imran Khan had lost 85% of the vision in one eye due to alleged medical negligence while in custody.
In response, the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, offered the opposition that if a better specialist than those at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) was available, Imran could also be examined there.
The house met here with Presiding Officer Waqar Mehdi in the chair. Abbas took the floor at the outset of proceedings, telling lawmakers that a report submitted to the Supreme Court confirmed Imran had developed an eye condition that went untreated for three months.
According to Abbas, Khan informed the jail superintendent about his eye problem and was taken to PIMS Hospital, despite the facility lacking a specialist for the condition. He said Imran received injections at PIMS, yet still suffered an 85% loss of vision.
“In Islam, compensation for the loss of one eye is equal to half the compensation for loss of life,” Abbas said, adding that the jail fell under Punjab’s jurisdiction and the provincial government must be held accountable.
He urged that Imran be examined by specialist doctors Dr Aamir or Dr Mazhar Sohail in Rawalpindi or Islamabad. The opposition leader told the house that he was writing letters to the ambassadors about this injustice meted out to the PTI founder.
Responding, Sanaullah, a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, said Barrister Salman Safdar’s report in the Supreme Court detailed all facilities provided to Imran, including exercise machines and proper meals, in jail.
He noted the chief justice had observed that both Safdar’s and the jail superintendent’s reports were identical. He stressed that the report in the apex court did not state that treatment had been denied, adding that whenever Imran raised concerns, medical care was arranged.
“The best possible treatment available in the country has been provided. If a better specialist is available at the cancer hospital than at PIMS, Imran could also be examined there,” Sanaullah told the upper house of parliament.
Noting that the Supreme Court had allowed further specialist consultation if required, the prime minister’s adviser told the house that whatever had been agreed with Imran’s lawyers would be implemented.
As routine agenda business resumed, Abbas sought to speak again but was told by the chair that more time would be given at a later stage. At that point, PTI senators rose from their seats and began chanting slogans, escalating tensions in the house.
PML-N’s Nasir Butt objected to the display of Imran Khan’s photographs on the desks of opposition lawmakers, saying they had brought images of a person who was not a member of the house and had been convicted by a court. He demanded the pictures be removed.
The chair reminded members that Senate rulings prohibit sloganeering and the display of photographs inside the chamber. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the Senate was a sacred house where even non-members were not allowed entry, insisting the images be taken down.
PTI Senator Falak Naz Chitrali retorted that the government should not lecture them on the law, prompting Tarar to warn that proceedings would be suspended. With PTI members refusing to comply and continuing their chants, the chamber descended into disorder.
Amid the uproar, Senator Waqar Mehdi adjourned the Senate session until Friday (today).
