PTI Raises Alarm over Bushra Bibi’s ‘Secret Midnight’ Hospital Transfer

Waqas Demands Immediate Medical Access, Transparency in Imran Khan, Former First Lady’s Treatment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressed grave concern and outrage over reports that Bushra Bibi was “suddenly and secretly” taken to a hospital in the “middle of the night” and then returned to jail without informing or taking her family, lawyers, or the party into confidence.

In a statement issued by PTI Central Media Department (CMD) on Thursday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that it is deeply regrettable that a female prisoner, who is also the wife of a former prime minister, is being deprived of basic human and medical rights despite her health condition deteriorating with each passing day.

Waqas stated that the entire matter is shrouded in mysterious and unusual secrecy, a lack of transparency, and serious human rights violations, which have raised countless questions in the minds of the nation.

PTI CIS said stated that the government must not become so blinded by political vendetta that it forgets its legal, moral, and human rights obligations. He demanded that Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi be immediately provided with the constitutionally mandated and legally entitled access to proper medical care, health facilities, and legal rights and that the authorities stop politicizing a health issue forthwith.

PTI CIS said stated that Bushra Bibi had already undergone eye surgery after being diagnosed with retinal detachment in her right eye, yet the authorities did not allow her family or her personal physicians to attend to her.

PTI CIS questioned why the nation was not being informed about the illness of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. Waqas asked that if her condition had deteriorated to the extent that she had to be taken urgently to a hospital in the middle of the night, why were her family, lawyers, and the party kept in the dark.

He demanded that the authorities immediately share details with the nation: which hospital she was taken to, what tests were conducted, which doctors examined her, and on what basis the decision was made to transfer her back to jail. He added that the silence of the government and jail authorities was making the entire matter even more suspicious.

“Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have experienced a sudden deterioration in eyesight during their incarceration at Adiala Jail. Both were stated to be in good health and had no serious medical issues prior to imprisonment. This fact in itself is extremely serious,” he added.

He also called for Bushra Bibi to be granted immediate and unrestricted access to her personal physicians, along with permission to meet her family without hindrance. PTI CIS further demanded that both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital, where they should be treated under the supervision of their personal doctors and in the presence of family members, while also allowing access to human rights organisations and an independent medical board to examine their health conditions.