Islamabad:
The PTI has lent alarm about what it describes as an “inhuman” treatment of its imprisoned founder, Imran Khan, claiming that he is being held in a “death cell” under almost total isolation.
Going to a press conference on Thursday, the central secretary of PTI for information, Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that Khan was limited to lonely detention for 22 hours a day, denied access to newspapers, television, books and forbade him to meet with his legal team and nearby associates.
Akram said the conditions are equivalent to psychological torture and a shameless violation of basic human rights. “Imran Khan is effectively interrupted from the world. His fundamental right to meet six designated people refuses despite explicit judicial orders, which constitute contempt of court.”
He added that similar restrictions have been imposed to Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who is supposedly denied family visits, while Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, has also been prevented from seeing him.
When asking for the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan who intervened, Akram urged the Judiciary to restore his “decrease in credibility and independence” against what he called the open challenge of the Executive of judicial decisions. “The violation of judicial orders is not only an insult to the courts but to the entire justice system.”
The PTI spokesman also questioned the recent disqualification of the politician Jamshed Dasti, claiming that article 62 (1) (d) of the Constitution had never used to disappoint public representatives and claiming that the constitutional provisions were now being poorly applied to political engineering.
Highlighting the concerns of the health and treatment of other leaders of PTI detainees, Akram pointed out the “deteriorated condition” of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the “systematic violation” of the rights of Dr. Yasmin Rashid, and the continuous imprisonment of Ejaz Chaudhry despite the orders of the Supreme Court that grants him bail.
In economic matters, Akram criticized the federal government for the prices of fuels fired, claiming that gasoline prices have increased by 82% in the last 15 months. “During PTI term, gasoline prices increased by Rs. 51, but the current government discarded subsidies and brought the price to Rs. 220 per liter,” he said. He also accused the government of orchestrating a RS. 92 billion sugar scandal, claiming that after the approval of exporting 765,000 metric tons of sugar, national supplies disappeared from the market, sending upward prices to RS. 200 per kilogram.
When addressing the cases of May 9, Akram said the prosecutor’s position has collapsed after the withdrawal of a key investigator.
