Lawyer Salman Safdar cites 15% vision and requests urgent hearing in Toshakhana-II and £190 million cases
A file photo of PTI founder Imran Khan and lawyer Salman Safdar. — PTI US OFFICIAL
ISLAMABAD:
A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of the sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in the Toshakhana-II case and his release on bail on medical grounds.
The petition was filed through lawyer Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry on Saturday. A miscellaneous application has also been lodged requesting an early hearing of the case relating to the suspension of judgment in the £190 million case.
Read: Imran Khan’s right eye has 15% vision, SC report details jail conditions
According to the petition, the Toshakhana-II case justifies suspension of sentence on both medical and merit grounds. The former prime minister is suffering from a serious illness in his right eye, the petition reads, diagnosed by Dr. Muhammad Arif of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, who claimed 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 claims, arguing that treatment for this condition is not possible inside jail. Since the 73-year-old former prime minister needs urgent medical attention, he should be released on bail, it added.
Speaking to the media at the IHC, Barrister Safdar said that they have filed appeals for the fourth time on behalf of PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi. “We have requested that the bail applications be set for hearing on Monday,” he said, adding that “Bushra Bibi is a woman; she has not been granted bail for a year.”
Read more: Opposition sit-in enters second day, vows to continue until Imran switches to eye care
The lawyer pointed out that no hearing request has been made for a year. “During Ramadan, the courts mainly deal with bail issues. We met the chief justice and submitted an application to the registrar,” he said, noting that it has been more than a year since the Al-Qadir Trust case was filed and a hearing has yet to be set.
“We also tried through correspondence; it has been two months since then. Today we have filed petitions in the light of medical grounds and requested that they be fixed for hearing next week,” Safdar said.
Dismissing the cases as “empty and baseless”, the lawyer argued that these are not matters involving the death penalty or life imprisonment. “On their own merits, the Toshakhana and Al-Qadir cases are half-hour affairs. The Islamabad High Court should at least prepare the cases for hearing,” he said.
Safdar pointed out that medical grounds are an additional basis for the bail application. “The matter of the founder’s treatment is before the Supreme Court. The court directed 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 members.”
Also read: Damning SC report on Imran’s health sparks political storm
When asked if Imran Khan himself reported the loss of vision or if the doctors informed him, Safdar clarified: “The founder told me in an interview that the doctors at PIMS Hospital had informed him. After tests and investigations, the doctors at PIMS informed him that 85% of his vision has been lost and only 15% is left.”
As concerns over the PTI founder’s health continue to rise among party leaders, the Tehreek-e-Tahfuz-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) sit-in protest in front of Parliament over Imran’s deteriorating health entered its second day on Saturday.
The leaders have vowed to continue their protest until Khan is transferred to Shifa International Hospital for urgent eye treatment.
