Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Photo: Archive
ISLAMABAD:
As PTI founder Imran Khan’s health once again becomes a flash point, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Tuesday formally appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to personally intervene and allow the jailed leader to be examined by his “trusted” doctors, while the government maintained that the former prime minister is already receiving adequate medical care.
In a letter shared by Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on
“I am writing to you with utmost urgency to draw your immediate attention to a serious matter relating to the health of former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is currently detained in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.”
Achakzai said he had learned that the recent medical checks had been carried out “without the knowledge or presence of his personal medical team or his family members.”
“His personal doctors, who are fully aware of his medical history, were not informed.”
“A comprehensive medical examination and testing by your trusted doctors without delay is urgently needed to properly assess and manage your health, in accordance with medical ethics, legal obligations and fundamental human rights.”
He named Dr Muhammad Aasim Yusuf, Dr Mazhar Ishaq and Dr Aamir Awan as the doctors who should be allowed to examine the former prime minister.
“Your immediate personal intervention to ensure this medical access is necessary to safeguard the health and well-being of the former Prime Minister.”
The letter came days after media reports revealed that Imran had been treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), a fact later acknowledged by the government.
Similarly, Pims CEO Professor Dr Rana Imran Sikander confirmed that the procedure had been completed “smoothly” and that Imran remained “stable” during the treatment.
“(The procedure) was completed smoothly in approximately 20 minutes. During treatment, the patient remained vitally stable and was discharged with routine post-procedure care instructions and follow-up advice and documents.”
However, the PTI condemned Imran’s “secret transfer” to Pims, alleging that his family and the party leadership were deliberately kept in the dark and that he was denied access to his personal doctors.
‘Excellent hospital’
Meanwhile, the issue also reached the Senate on Tuesday, where Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Pims was “an excellent hospital” and claimed that Imran himself had requested to be taken there for treatment.
He told the House that the PTI founder had said he could be arrested at night if security was a concern and reiterated that the Pims CEO had already raised the issue at a press conference.
Tarar said if more medical problems arose, similar facilities would be provided. He added that Imran had personally requested a particular injection from Pims.
The Minister of Justice said that the Constitution guarantees the rights of everyone, but a legal process also follows.
He said the former prime minister had been convicted through due process in a case related to the sale of a diamond necklace worth Rs 45 million at a discounted price.
Tarar said the responsibility of a convicted prisoner lay with the appellate courts, and any complaint about prison facilities could be lodged with the jail superintendent or the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Referring to his own party’s experiences, Tarar recalled that Rana Sanaullah had suffered ocular paralysis before his arrest and was denied medical access while forced to sleep on the floor in extreme heat.
He said the prime minister had never ordered Imran to be denied medical facilities and had directed the health secretary to hold a press conference with the Pims chief executive.
Tarar insisted that the PTI founder’s health was “absolutely fine”.
The opposition demands access
Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said Imran was the country’s most popular leader and had not been examined by his personal doctors for 14 months.
He said informing relatives and allowing medical access was a constitutional obligation and a basic right.
He proposed that a joint committee of government and opposition senators visit Imran, meet his family and personal doctors and report back.
“Not even a cruel person should be treated cruelly,” he said.
PTI senator Ali Zafar termed the matter a human rights issue and said Imran’s doctors had warned that the condition could permanently damage his eye.
He recalled that when Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned, his platelet problem was treated as a humanitarian concern and he was granted access to doctors and allowed to travel abroad.
Ali Zafar demanded that Imran’s doctors be allowed to meet him immediately, that a report be requested from Pims and that two senators accompany the doctors during the visit.
