PTI confirms Imran Khan’s Medical Report to Be Given to Family after Day-Long SC Sit-In

Reports about ex-premier’s health “unsatisfactory”: Raja

Gohar demands Dr Faisal, Dr Asim be allowed to meet Khan

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that the family of the imprisoned former premier Imran Khan would be provided a copy of his medical report following the party’s day-long sit-in out the Supreme Court building.

He made the remarks while speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court building here on Friday, where the party, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, staged a day-long sit-in in an effort to ensure a meeting between Imran and his personal physicians.

The development comes a day after Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that PTI founder underwent a medical procedure for an eye ailment on the night of January 24 at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

 During his interaction with a private TV channel, the minister verified that the former premier was taken to the PIMS for a “20-minute” medical procedure on Saturday-last.

 PTI Secretary General said, “As you know, we have been outside the SC building all day.” Sohail Afridi, Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI lawmakers were also present at the sit-in.

 He stated that a similar sit-in was staged outside Adiala jail on Thursday night that lasted till 3am on Friday. “There is nothing more important for us than Imran Khan sahib’s health,” he said. He added that the reports that had emerged about the ex-premier’s health were “unsatisfactory”. He said that Imran was taken to a hospital, without the family’s knowledge. “And then lies are told. For five days, they say that no such incident has happened,” he said. Salman Raja said that he had held conversations with the Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, his staff and the attorney general for Pakistan all day. However, he said that whatever was “achieved” after their day-long efforts was “unsatisfactory”.

 “It has been said that Imran Khan sahib’s medical reports — what happened in PIMS hospital, the diagnosis in jail before that — that report will be given to Imran Khan in a sealed envelope. And a copy of that report will be given to family, meaning his sisters, today,” he said. He said that this would now show what the doctors had diagnosed Imran with and what medical procedure was carried out. “When this report comes in front of us, then the family will decide whether the medical treatment being provided is satisfactory or not,” he said.

He said that the decisions about further treatment would also be taken by the family. However, he said that the “real matter” was that Imran was wrongly arrested, calling for him to be released. He said that the party would continue to protest for Imran’s visitation rights. He said that to decide the future course of strategy, the party’s political committee would meet later today. He said that the political party would also speak to the Senate and National Assembly opposition leaders, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, respectively.

 “So with their consultation, the PTI’s political party will decide the future course of action. We do not accept this current situation. Receiving the medical report is necessary,” he said. Meanwhile, the Senate Opposition leader said that every person had fundamental rights under the Constitution. “Creating hindrances in the path to the fundamental rights is oppression,” he said. Referring to Imran’s incarceration and his treatment at the hospital, he said, “Whatever they are doing is illegal, unconstitutional, inhumane and oppressive from all perspectives.”

 PTI workers and lawmakers had camped outside the apex court. The KP chief minister had reached the SC in the morning, after a sit-in outside Adiala jail, which had continued into the early hours of Friday. Speaking to the media during the day, CM KP stated that the purpose of PTI’s sit-ins outside Adiala jail and the SC was to arrange a meeting between the former premier and his personal physicians, as the entire nation is concerned about the health of the country’s most popular leader, Imran Khan.

 “Earlier, it was stated that political meetings with Imran Khan are banned. The personal physicians will not participate in any political conversations,” Afridi added, adding that he would try to arrange a meeting between the PTI founder and his personal physicians with the help of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

The CM KP said PTI would announce its future course of action if its attempts to arrange a meeting with Imran remain futile. He also expressed his astonishment that while the courts were issuing decisions on petitions, they were not getting justice. “Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s cases have not been listed for one year. If the cases are listed today and we are provided justice, Khan sahib and Bushra Bibi, along with other leaders, will be released from prison within half an hour,” he claimed. “We were left with no option, so we opted for the only one available,” he added.

 PTI leaders call on Attorney General of Pakistan

 After their arrival at the SC, Salman Akram Raja and lawmaker Sardar Latif Khosa had met the registrar of the apex court and the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman. During their meeting, Salman Raja and Khosa had voiced the party’s serious concern pertaining to their leader’s eye ailment, requesting that the medical report of the doctor who treated Imran Khan be provided to them.

Talking to media on the occasion, Khosa said he reminded the registrar and the AGP that the CJP should promote good practices before he retired as “Imran’s case is not only a human rights issue, but he is also being deprived of his basic rights.” “The CJP has taken an oath that implementation on Constitution and basic rights [of people] is his basic responsibility; hence he is the protector of the basic rights of Pakistanis,” he said.

PTI MNA claimed that the procedure of retina rupture did not last “20-minutes” as shared by the information minister, but “it is 2.5 hours”. He said Imran’s health was PTI’s “red line” and any matter related to his health “will not be tolerated at any cost”. “This is his legal and constitutional right,” added Khosa. “I told the registrar to share our concerns with the CJP,” he said.

 ‘Secrecy is cancer to democracy’

At an earlier press conference at Islamabad’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and party leader Babar Awan also addressed the media stated that the “one-point agenda” for the press conference was Imran’s health. Barrister Gohar said the party's foremost concern was that Imran’s imprisonment constituted the country’s biggest crisis, adding that the situation was further aggravated when neither the public nor his family was informed about his health.

Referring to the former prime minister’s brief stay at Islamabad’s PIMS hospital, PTI Chairman stated said that taking the matter so lightly amounted to putting the entire country and its democracy at stake, adding that secrecy was akin to cancer for democracy. His (Imran Khan’s) family is worried due to his health.” Gohar demanded that doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital be allowed to examine the former prime minister. “Dr Faisal and Dr Asim should be allowed to meet Khan.” The PTI Chairman stated that neither the party nor Imran’s family was informed about his health or treatment. Addressing the media, Awan said if the report regarding Imran Khan’s health is not made public, “it will have grave consequences” and added that the party and its supporters were anxious regarding the former premier’s health.

Credit: The Global Times