Barrister Salman Safdar cites 15% vision, seeks speedy hearing in Toshakhana-II and £190m.
A file photo of PTI founder Imran Khan and lawyer Salman Safdar. — PTI USA OFFICIAL
ISLAMABAD:
A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s conviction in the Toshakhana-II case and his release on bail on medical grounds.
The petition was filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry on Saturday. A miscellaneous application has also been lodged for an early hearing of the case relating to the suspension of the sentence in the £190 million case.
Read: Imran Khan’s right eye at 15% vision, SC report details prison conditions
According to the petition, the Toshakhana-II case warrants suspension of sentence both on substantive and medical grounds. The former prime minister suffers from a serious condition in his right eye, the petition reads, diagnosed by Dr. Muhammad Arif of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, who stated that his right eye has been severely affected due to a blood clot.
The vision in Imran Khan’s right eye has been reduced to just 15%, the petition states, arguing that treatment for this condition is not possible in prison. As the 73-year-old former prime minister requires urgent medical attention, he should be released on bail, it added.
Addressing the media at the IHC, Barrister Safdar said that they have filed the appeal for the fourth time on behalf of the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi. “We have requested that the bail applications be fixed for hearing on Monday,” he said, adding that “Bushra Bibi is a woman; she has not been granted bail for a year.”
Read more: The opposition sit-in enters day two, vowing to continue until Imran switched to eye care
The attorney noted that no request for a hearing has been scheduled in the past year. “During Ramazan, the courts mostly hear bail cases. We met the chief justice and submitted a request to the registrar,” he said, noting that it has been more than a year since the Al-Qadir Trust case was filed and it has still not been fixed for a hearing.
“We also tried through correspondence; two months have passed since then. Today we have filed petitions in view of medical grounds and requested that they be fixed for a hearing next week,” Safdar said.
The lawyer dismissed the cases as “hollow and baseless” and argued that they are not cases involving the death penalty or life imprisonment. “On merit, the Toshakhana and Al-Qadir cases are matter of half an hour. Islamabad High Court should at least fix the cases for hearing,” he said.
Safdar noted that medical grounds are an additional basis for the bail application. “The question of the founder’s treatment is before the Supreme Court. The court ordered the Attorney General to ensure that treatment is provided. We have also requested that his check-up be carried out in the presence of his personal doctors and family.”
Read also: Damning SC report on Imran’s health raises political storm
When asked whether Imran Khan himself reported the vision loss or if the doctors informed him, Safdar clarified: “The founder told me in an interview that doctors at PIMS Hospital had informed him. After tests and research, doctors at PIMS informed him that 85% of his vision was lost and only 15% is left.”
As concerns regarding the PTI founder’s health continue to rise among party leaders, the Tehreek-e-Tahfuz-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) protest sit-in outside Parliament over Imran’s deteriorating health entered its second day on Saturday.
Leaders have vowed to continue their protest until Khan is transferred to Shifa International Hospital for emergency eye treatment.
