K-P CM Sohail Afridi says PTI to approach courts over non-implementation of Supreme Court order
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder’s sister Dr Uzma Khan and his personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan addressing a press conference at Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House. SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan told his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, that he was being subjected to “severe injustice and torture”, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday that the party would approach the courts with a contempt petition over the alleged non-implementation of the Supreme Court’s order regarding Imran’s medical treatment.
Speaking at a press conference at K-P House in Islamabad, Dr Uzma said Imran had complained about his treatment in detention during their meeting at PIMS. “Imran repeatedly said that they had been treating him very unjustly for the past 10 months,” she said. “He told me to go and tell everyone that they were committing severe injustice and torture against him.”
She, however, said Imran appeared to be in good health when she met him at PIMS. “Imran was mashallah, completely fit,” she said, adding that his blood pressure had been checked and was 120/80.
Dr Uzma said doctors at PIMS checked Imran’s blood pressure and asked which eye drops he had been using before telling him that an injection had to be administered to his eye.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that Imran had instead been taken to PIMS, where he underwent a medical examination before being returned to Adiala jail.
Read: Imran Khan was taken to PIMS, not Shifa, for medical examination: Tarar
She further said she had been called to Adiala jail at around 8:30pm on Thursday and was initially taken to Deputy Superintendent of Police Saqlain’s office before being driven in a small vehicle to PIMS. “When I went upstairs, Imran was there,” she said, adding that Imran told police officers that his sister was meeting him after 10 months.
Dr Uzma said they were repeatedly made to sit in different places “as if time was being passed”. After an injection was administered to one of Imran’s eyes, his other eye was covered with a bandage, she said.
She said she repeatedly asked whether they were being taken to Shifa International Hospital when they left PIMS but received no response. “I kept asking, but no one answered,” she said, adding that a doctor named Arif had identified himself to her.
Dr Uzma also said Imran compared his treatment in detention to that of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. “Imran said that Morsi was killed in the same way that he was being tortured by being kept in solitary confinement,” she said. She added that Imran had told her that a doctor had explained that his hypertension was caused by a lack of human contact.
She added that she did not have a mobile phone or watch but knew it was around the time of the Fajr call to prayer when they left PIMS. She further said they were subsequently taken back to Adiala jail, where Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, arrived in another vehicle.
Separately, Dr Faisal said he had been taken from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for two and a half to three hours. “As it was approaching Fajr, I was told that perhaps Imran Khan was not coming and that I should leave,” he said. He added that he was subsequently taken back to Adiala jail.
CM Afridi vows legal action
Meanwhile, Afridi criticised the government over Imran’s transfer to PIMS instead of Shifa and said the PTI would approach the courts over the matter. “If the judiciary itself will not implement its own decision, then how will the system work?” he asked.
He said Imran was “not an ordinary person” and alleged that the authorities had shown no regard for the courts or judges. “This is not only about throwing the order of three judges into the dustbin,” he added.
Afridi stated that judges across the country would have to decide how to respond to the development. “They will have to decide whether to lock the courts or obey the orders of the judiciary. Otherwise, the law of the jungle will prevail,” he said.
He added that the PTI would pursue the matter through a contempt of court petition.
Imran taken to PIMS, not Shifa
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday morning that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan had been taken to PIMS, rather than Shifa International Hospital, for a medical examination, with doctors from Shifa also present.
Tarar said Imran had been taken to hospital during the night of August 20 and 21 under “appropriate security arrangements” in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order. He said Imran was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa “in view of the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa Hospital”.
The clarification came after information emerged late on Thursday night that Imran was being transferred from Adiala jail to Shifa shortly after midnight following the Supreme Court’s order. He was taken via Chakri, while heavy police contingents were deployed around Shifa and several roads leading to the hospital were temporarily closed with barbed wire. The Islamabad police chief and senior officers were also present outside the hospital.
Tarar said the medical examination was conducted at PIMS, where doctors from Shifa were also present. A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, conducted a detailed examination and declared Imran medically fit, he said.
Imran’s sister, Uzma Khan, remained present throughout the medical examination and treatment process, Tarar said, adding that the PTI founder was transferred back to Adiala jail at approximately 5am on Friday.
SC orders Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment
On Tuesday, SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family.
The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier’s blood pressure (BP).
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran’s access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record.
Also Read: Gohar questions dialogue prospects after Imran’s transfer to PIMS
The court further ordered that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist along with Dr Sultan.
His sister, Dr Uzma, will also be associated with the newly established medical board, according to the order. The SC directed that Imran’s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital.
The court also instructed Imran’s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential.
“We assure the court that the medical report will remain completely confidential,” Raja said. The court further directed that no political activity, media talks or press conferences be held outside the hospital.
Read More: Govt calls SC order to shift Imran to private hospital ‘discriminatory’, files review petition
“Do not engage in politics outside the hospital,” Justice Afghan said. “There are other patients in the hospital,” he added, stressing that other patients should not be affected.
Raja and PTI Parliamentary Secretary Shahid Khattak assured the court that no political activity would take place outside the hospital. “Our political activities will remain completely separate,” Raja said.
The court also directed that arrangements be made for Imran to have telephone conversations with his children.
The SC ordered that Imran’s medical reports not be used for political purposes. The court warned that the order could be withdrawn if its directives were violated, while allowing the government and other parties to approach the court if they believed the orders were not being implemented.
