PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram on Tuesday dismissed reports circulating about Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s health, saying she was alive and in Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Dr. Yasmin, 74, a gynecologist and cancer survivor, has been in custody since May 12, 2023, facing multiple charges linked to riots sparked by the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. Her health has repeatedly failed, with hospitalizations in May and July 2024, and again in 2025, where she suffered from severe abdominal pain and breathing difficulties.
“Dr Yasmin is, Alhamdulillah, alive and in Kot Lakhpat Jail, sacrificing imprisonment and hardship because of the ideology of her leader Imran Khan,” Akram said in a post on X.
He said that all the news that was spread about Dr. Yasmin, were fake and had no connection to reality, and urged the public not to believe rumors about her.
Dr. Yasmin also issued a statement through her lawyer, Barrister Rana Mudassar Umar, to clarify reports circulating about a will.
Umar said in a video statement that he along with the PTI leadership met Dr. Yasmin in Kot Lakhpat Jail during the hearing after a week.
“Dr Yasmin told me that she is fine and has not signed any kind of will, but she thanked the community and all the people who prayed for her,” he added.
According to her lawyer, Dr. Yasmin allegedly advised to undergo back surgery.
The statement said Yasmin’s lawyer had approached the courts to seek permission and relief related to her medical condition, but no conclusive response or urgent action had reportedly been taken so far.
Umar said she was being treated for cancer and was suffering from a respiratory disease, adding that spine surgery had been recommended for her.
“We requested the court for it. The court has ordered that her treatment should be done immediately. But due to some risk, there could be no permanent treatment,” Umar said.
He further said that Dr. Yasmin had stated in her message that she was serving her sentence for the rule of law, for the betterment of future generations and for the citizens of Pakistan.
PTI lawyer Taimur Malik also dismissed social media posts about Dr. Yasmin and senior party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s life and welfare, calling them fake and misleading.
Read more: ATC provides Dr. Yasmeen 10 years in prison, acquits Qureshi
In a statement, Malik said both PTI leaders were doing well and are currently in Kot Lakhpat jail.
“This has also been confirmed by Mudassar Umer with the prison authorities,” Malik said.
He said the jail case scheduled for Tuesday had been postponed this week, meaning PTI’s legal team would not be able to meet them in person during the day.
However, Malik said that Dr. Yasmin and Ejaz Chaudhry were facing serious and worsening medical conditions, adding that the court and prison authorities were aware of the situation.
