Govt downplays ‘non-issue’ as PTI writes to rights organizations over Imran’s condition

The government on Thursday downplayed concerns raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the eye treatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, calling them a “non-issue”, while the party wrote to international human rights bodies over the alleged prison treatment of its founder.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala Prison in a £190 million corruption case. Additionally, he faces ongoing trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the May 9, 2023 protests. The party has in recent days expressed concern over Imran’s health condition, alleging that prison authorities and the government were obstructing treatment of a “serious eye disease” and demanding immediate medical attention.

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

Opposition leaders, including lawyer Imran Khan, president of PTI, also raised the issue on Wednesday, protesting reports that Imran was shifted to 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 treatment.

Speaking in an interview with private media’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ show, Minister of State for Law and Justice, Barrister Aqeel Malik, said the case “was not a major event; It was a routine affair that was blown out of proportion.”

He said the Adiala Prison Hospital had facilities to treat various medical conditions and doctors treated Imran whenever the PTI founder lodged complaints, including treating dental pain.

“It is possible that the treatment was provided directly on site, and if the equipment was not available or specialist advice was required, the treatment was provided at the hospital. So it is not a problem, a non-event,” he added.

Reiterating his position, Malik said the case was common and did not deserve the political attention it was receiving. He accused the PTI and its supporters of trying to politicize the issue, despite Khan’s consent for the treatment.

Speaking earlier in an interview with Capital Talk, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said there was no need to inform the cabinet or other ministers about the issue.

Read also: Imran Khan taken to hospital for minor eye procedure, confirms Tarar

He said the case primarily concerned the warden of Adiala Prison, who had legal and moral responsibility for the health of inmates.

“Imran was examined daily by the prison doctor, and if the doctor referred the matter to a hospital or a senior specialist given the seriousness of his condition, there was no need to inform the ministers before providing him with treatment,” Sanaullah said.

Accusing the PTI of propagating the problem, the PM’s aide added: “If he had a problem, the superintendent would have ensured 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 over Imran’s prison treatment

Meanwhile, the PTI wrote an open letter to the world’s leading human rights institutions, raising serious concerns over what it described as “systematic and increasing violations” of basic human rights against its founder.

The letter, addressed to organizations including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists, cited “continued violations of constitutional guarantees, due process and international standards in detention.”

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

Even more alarming, the PTI claimed that Imran “was secretly transferred from Adiala Prison to PIMS Hospital without any prior information from his family members, legal advisor or party leaders”.

The party claimed that prison authorities, as well as the Punjab and federal governments, “deliberately concealed this transfer and subsequently refused to meet with his family, lawyers and personal doctors, raising serious concerns about his safety, health and well-being.”

The letter also referred to Tarar’s claims that Imran had sought 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 immediate access to Mr. Imran Khan.”

The PTI described the secrecy surrounding the former prime minister’s condition and whereabouts as a “flagrant violation of international standards on detention”, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Read also: Imran’s ‘hospital admission’ worries PTI

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

He also alleged that “his legal appeals against what the PTI claims were politically motivated and his legally tainted convictions were deliberately not fixed for hearing before the Islamabad High Court, thereby depriving him of the right to due process and access to justice.”

The PTI also claimed that prison authorities continued to act with impunity despite “clear court orders allowing meetings and access to medical care”, calling the actions 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, inhumane and degrading treatment, and political persecution through misuse of state institutions.

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

He urged global human rights institutions to immediately take note of Imran’s situation, demand unrestricted access for his family and doctors, call for an end to solitary confinement and detention abuses, and ensure fair and transparent legal proceedings.

Concluding the letter, the PTI said it “remains committed, in all circumstances, to protecting the constitutional and fundamental human rights of its founding president, Imran Khan” and called on the international community “not to remain silent in the face of these grave violations.”