Rana Sanaullah says it is a case of criminal negligence if Imran’s medical treatment was deliberately withheld
The Senate witnessed an uproar on Friday after the government blocked a resolution seeking to discuss the health of jailed Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, prompting opposition lawmakers to protest and accuse authorities of negligence.
PTI lawyer Salman Safdar on Thursday submitted a report ordered by the Supreme Court after meeting the former prime minister in Adiala jail earlier this week. Imran informed Safdar that his right eye was now functioning at only 15% of its capacity after he underwent a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) last month.
As a result, the two-member court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan ordered that Imran be granted access to his personal doctors in Adiala Jail and allowed telephone contact with his children. The revelations about Imran’s eye sparked outrage among opposition ranks and other politicians.
The issue of Imran’s eye health and vision was also discussed in today’s Senate session and the Prime Minister’s Political Affairs Advisor Rana Sanaullah said that any deliberate denial of medical care to Imran would amount to criminal negligence and would be indefensible.
“If someone did not provide treatment, that behavior would be unacceptable,” he said, adding, however, that projecting the problem for political purposes would also be incorrect if the facts suggested otherwise.
He said the opposition tried to highlight Imran’s health concerns, but claimed the matter had already been clarified before the Supreme Court.
The procedure began in the absence of the president, the vice president and the members of the court. The House passed a motion to appoint Senator Shahadat Awan as president, who then began the session.
Read: Dispute over Imran’s health triggers clash between PTI and govt in Senate
Controversy erupted when PTI senator Aon Abbas Buppi moved a resolution calling for a debate on Imran’s health. The government opposed the motion and Sanaullah questioned the need for a formal resolution if debate was already permissible.
The resolution was rejected by a majority vote, sparking protests from PTI senators, who gathered in front of the president’s dais and chanted slogans.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers maintained that there were no objections to medical treatment for any prisoner and Senator Sherry Rehman said access to medical care should not be politicized.
Providing a timeline of medical care, Sanaullah said Imran first complained of eye pain in the first week of January. “After the complaint, the prison doctor gave him eye drops, which he used for three or four days,” he said.
He added that Imran was examined on January 16, while a medical board reviewed his condition and conducted tests on January 19. “An injection was administered on January 24,” he said, noting that these details were part of the official medical records.
Sanaullah rejected claims that Imran had been suffering from the problem for several months and claimed that the PTI founder was tested regularly. He said Imran had been examined by jail doctors every two days and by outside doctors on 25 occasions. According to him, Imran did not make any complaints about his eye during previous examinations, including a medical board review in December.
“These details are available in official documents,” Sanaullah said, adding that he was willing to share the medical history with the opposition if necessary.
He further said that no application had been filed before the Supreme Court seeking admission of the PTI founder in a private hospital, but assured that the government would comply with the directives issued by the apex court and facilitate examination by doctors chosen by Imran.
Opposition lawmakers, however, rejected the government’s explanation, alleging negligence and demanding transparency in the treatment of the former prime minister.
Opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas rejected the government’s version, saying the eyesight did not suddenly deteriorate and alleging negligence in the handling of the matter.
He questioned why Imran’s family and legal team were not informed and proposed a joint visit by government and opposition members to assess the situation.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl Senator Kamran Murtaza urged the government to take a humanitarian approach, noting that possible permanent loss of sight could constitute a legal ground for bail.
He suggested that a member of the government and the opposition should visit Imran to brief the House. Referring to late Kulsoom Nawaz, he said past political rivalries should not dictate current conduct.
Murtaza also pointed out that there were legal avenues such as conditional release, bail or house arrest.
