Government downplays “non-issue” as PTI writes to rights organizations on Imran’s condition

The government on Thursday played down concerns raised by the 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 prison treatment.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala prison in a £190m corruption case. In addition, he faces pending legal proceedings under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the protests of 9 May 2023. The party has in recent days expressed concern over Imran’s health, claiming that the prison authorities and the government prevented treatment for a “severe eye disorder” and demanded immediate medical attention.

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

Opposition leaders, including PTI chairman Barrister Gohar, also raised the issue on Wednesday, protesting 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.

In an interview on the program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on a private media broadcaster, Minister of State for Law and Attorney General Aqeel Malik said the case was “not a major event; it was a routine case that has been blown out of proportion”.

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

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

Malik reiterated his stance, saying the case was routine and did not warrant the political attention it received. He accused the PTI and its supporters of trying to politicize the issue despite Khan’s consent to the hearing.

In an interview on the program Capital Talk earlier, the 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, Tarar confirms

He said the case primarily concerned the Superintendent of Adiala Jail who had legal and moral responsibility for the health of the inmates.

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

Accusing PTI of spreading the issue, the prime minister’s aide added, “If he had a problem, the superintendent would have arranged for 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 about Imran’s prison 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 basic human rights against its founder.

The letter, addressed to organizations including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists, alleged “persistent violations of constitutional guarantees, due process and international standards of deprivation of liberty”.

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

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

The party alleged that the prison authorities, as well as the Punjab and federal governments, “deliberately concealed this transfer and subsequently denied meetings with his family, lawyers and personal doctors, 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 true, PTI demands that Mr Imran Khan’s immediate family (sons and sisters) and personal doctors be given access to Mr Imran Khan immediately.”

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

Also read: Imran’s ‘hospitalization’ worries PTI

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

It also claimed that “his legal appeals against what PTI claims 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 a fair trial and access to justice.”

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

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

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

It urged global human rights institutions to take immediate notice of Imran’s situation, demand unrestricted access for his family and doctors, call for an end to solitary confinement and deprivation of liberty, and ensure fair and transparent trials.

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