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

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

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

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

Opposition leaders, including PTI president Barrister Gohar, also raised the issue on Wednesday, protesting against reports that Imran was shifted to a hospital without informing his family or the party leadership. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar today confirmed that the former prime minister was briefly taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for medical treatment.

In an interview on a private broadcaster’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ programme, Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik said the matter “was not a major development; it was a routine matter which has been blown out of proportion.”

He explained that the Adiala jail hospital had facilities to treat a variety of medical conditions and that doctors treated Imran whenever the PTI founder made complaints, including treatment for toothache.

“The treatment may have been administered there directly, and if equipment was not available or specialist opinion was needed, the treatment was provided at the hospital. Therefore, it is not an issue, it is not an event,” he added.

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

In an earlier interview on Capital Talk, the prime minister’s political affairs adviser Rana Sanaullah said there was no need to inform the cabinet or other ministers about the matter.

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

He said the matter mainly concerned the superintendent of Adiala jail, who had legal and moral responsibility for the health of inmates.

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

Accusing the PTI of propagating the problem, the prime minister’s aide added: “If he had a problem, the superintendent would have ensured a check-up. If the doctor recommended a specialist, I don’t see any objection: he got the treatment he was entitled to.”

PTI writes to global human rights bodies about Imran’s prison treatment

Meanwhile, the PTI wrote an open letter to major global human rights institutions, raising serious concerns over what it described as “systematic and escalating violations” of fundamental 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, alleged “sustained violations of constitutional guarantees, due process and international custody standards.”

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

Most alarmingly, the PTI alleged that Imran “was secretly transferred from Adiala jail to PIMS hospital without any prior information to his family members, legal advisors or party leaders.”

The party claimed that prison authorities, as well as the federal and Punjab governments, “deliberately concealed this transfer and subsequently refused to meet 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 and said: “If this claim is true, PTI demands that Mr. Imran Khan’s immediate family (sons and sisters) and personal doctors be given access to Mr. Imran Khan immediately.”

PTI described the secrecy surrounding the former prime minister’s medical condition and location as a “clear violation of international custody standards,” 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 accused the authorities of denying Imran regular contact with his family and lawyers, and of imposing restrictions on him that amounted to “psychological and physical coercion.”

He also alleged that “his legal appeals against what the PTI maintains are politically motivated and legally erroneous convictions have deliberately not been scheduled for hearing in the Islamabad High Court, effectively denying him the right to due process and access to justice.”

The PTI also claimed that prison authorities had continued to act with impunity despite “clear court orders allowing meetings and medical access,” and described the actions as a “serious constitutional breach” that undermined the rule of law and violated Pakistan’s international human rights obligations.

According to the party, the treatment allegedly inflicted on Imran constituted arbitrary detention, denial of due process, inhuman and degrading treatment and political persecution through misuse of state institutions.

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

He urged global human rights institutions to take immediate cognizance of Imran’s situation, demand unrestricted access for his family and doctors, call for an end to solitary confinement and custodial abuse, and ensure fair and transparent judicial procedures.

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