Imran’s sisters urge SC to initiate contempt proceedings against Adiala jail authorities over medical reports

Sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Friday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to issue a contempt notice to jail authorities for allegedly failing to comply with his orders regarding providing their brother’s medical reports to his family.

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) had previously confirmed that Imran was taken to the hospital where, after obtaining consent, he was given an intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF to treat a right central retinal vein occlusion. The PTI rejected the PIMS report on Imran’s eye treatment, demanding that he be treated at Shaukat Khanum Hospital and his family be allowed to meet him.

Additionally, PTI leaders staged a day-long sit-in outside the Supreme Court (SC) and managed to get assurances that the authorities would provide the medical report of the incarcerated leader to his family. PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja held a 30-minute meeting with CJP Afridi, during which PTI’s concerns were formally conveyed. The chief justice, along with the attorney general and the SC registrar, had assured that medical reports would be provided to Imran and his sisters, and his personal doctors would have access to him once the reports were received.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai had also written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, raising concerns over the health of the jailed PTI founder and seeking the prime minister’s personal intervention to enable a comprehensive medical examination by a team of “trusted doctors”.

In an article on X Today, Aleema Khanum and Noreen Niazi said the chief justice had pledged last week that Imran’s medical reports would be provided to his family. However, they claimed that when the Adiala Prison superintendent appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), only two brief notes were submitted instead of a detailed medical report.

“This conduct reflects complete disregard for the authority of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. We urge Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to issue a contempt notice to the prison authorities and ensure that Imran Khan’s medical reports are handed over to his family without further delay,” they said.

Shortly after, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a message on X that a detailed medical report of Imran had already been given to the family.

“On the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office, a detailed medical report was prepared by the Executive Director of PIMS Hospital and sent to the Superintendent of Rawalpindi Central Prison (Adiala), which was handed over to the family,” Tarar wrote.