Daijiworld Media Network - Islamabad
Islamabad, Feb 16: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that its founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being secretly moved from jail to a hospital for medical treatment, raising concerns over his safety and legal rights.
In a statement, the party expressed “grave concern” over reports suggesting that authorities may shift Khan for treatment without informing his family.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf expresses grave concern over reports and speculations suggesting a plan to secretly shift our Leader Imran Khan to a hospital for treatment without taking his family into confidence. Such an act is a blatant violation of both fundamental human rights and prevailing legal requirements,” the statement read.
PTI insisted that any medical examination must be conducted in the presence of Khan’s personal doctors and at least one family member.
“We totally reject any form of secrecy surrounding the health of the former Prime Minister. Hiding facts once again — reminiscent of past patterns — is tantamount to deliberately putting Imran Khan’s health and life at risk,” the party added.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday that Khan would eventually be transferred to a newly constructed jail in Islamabad once it becomes operational within the next two months. According to Naqvi, the new facility will include medical services.
Khan is currently lodged at Adiala Jail, where he has been held since his arrest in August 2023 following his conviction in a corruption case.
The controversy comes amid reports alleging serious deterioration in Khan’s health, including significant vision loss and prolonged solitary confinement. A detailed report prepared by Supreme Court-appointed lawyer Salman Safdar, accessed by NDTV, claimed that Khan has lost nearly 85 per cent of vision in his right eye after authorities allegedly ignored medical concerns.
PTI described the treatment of its leader as “deliberate, inhuman, and illegal,” terming delays in medical care “extremely unfortunate and inhumane” and demanding immediate medical intervention.
Supporters of Khan argue that the developments reinforce longstanding allegations that elements within Pakistan’s establishment are using incarceration to exert pressure on the former premier.
According to the report, Khan has stated that he “expects nothing beyond the basic necessities essential for his survival.”