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, drawing objections from finance ministry members and ultimately forcing the Speaker to adjourn the matter.
The confrontation followed remarks by Leader of the Opposition and Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who told the House that PTI founder Imran Khan had lost 85% of the sight in one eye due to alleged medical negligence while in custody.
In response, the Prime Minister’s Political Affairs Adviser Rana Sanaullah offered the opposition that if a better specialist than those at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) was available, Imran could be examined there as well.
The House met here with Speaker Waqar Mehdi in the chair. Speaking at the beginning of the proceedings, Abbas told lawmakers that a report submitted to the Supreme Court confirmed that Imran had developed an eye disease that remained untreated for three months.
According to Abbas, Khan informed the prison warden 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 but still suffered an 85% loss of vision.
“In Islam, compensation for the loss of one eye is equal to half of the compensation for the loss of human life,” Abbas said, adding that the prison fell under Punjab’s jurisdiction and that the provincial government must be held responsible.
He urged that Imran be examined by specialist doctors Dr. Aamir or Dr. Mazhar Sohail in Rawalpindi or Islamabad. The Leader of Opposition told the House that he was writing letters to the ambassadors about this injustice meted out to the PTI founder.
Reacting, Sanaullah, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said barrister Salman Safdar’s report in the Supreme Court detailed all facilities provided to Imran, including exercise machines and proper meals, in the jail.
He noted that 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 indicate that treatment had been denied, adding that whenever Imran raised concerns, medical attention 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 needed, the Prime Minister’s counsel told the House that what was agreed with Imran’s lawyers would be implemented.
As the routine agenda resumed, Abbas sought to speak again but was told by the chairman that more time would be given at a later date. At that time, PTI senators got up from their seats and started shouting slogans, adding to the tension in the house.
PML-N’s Nasir Butt objected to the display of Imran Khan’s photographs on opposition lawmakers’ desks, saying they had brought pictures 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 chairman reminded the members that the Senate’s decisions 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 and insisted that the pictures be taken down.
PTI Senator Falak Naz Chitrali responded that the government should not educate them about the law, prompting Tarar to warn that the case would be suspended. When PTI members refused to comply and continued their chants, the chamber fell into disarray.
Amidst the uproar, Senator Waqar Mehdi adjourned the Senate session till Friday (today).
