Imran Khan’s party seeks contempt action over jailed leader’s hospital move
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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges he calls politically motivated.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Imran Khan's party filed a contempt petition against the government for taking him to a state hospital instead of the private one ordered by the court.
- Khan remains jailed on politically charged allegations, and his forced return to jail risks sparking renewed protests.
- Khan’s supporters plan a protest march on Sept 27, increasing pressure on the government amid claims of prison torture and denied medical care.
AI generated
LAHORE - The party of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan filed a contempt petition against the government on Aug 22 after the authorities took the cricketer-turned-politician to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility ordered by the top court, party officials said.
“The petition seeks action against the prime minister, law minister, information minister” and other government officials, said Naeem Panjutha, a legal adviser for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding it also calls for Khan’s treatment at the private hospital ordered by the court.
Khan, who remains highly popular in Pakistan, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges he calls politically motivated after a fallout with the country’s powerful military led to his removal from office.
His arrest sparked massive nationwide protests, including the storming of military installations, and public perception that he was moved back to jail forcefully has the potential to rekindle such demonstrations.
A three-judge bench on Aug 18 directed the government to transfer Khan from Adiala Jail to the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within two days for medical examination.
Officials, instead, took Khan to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) overnight on Aug 21 for a brief check-up before returning him to jail and did not give him access to his personal physician, which the party also cites as a breach of court orders.
The PTI interprets the order as requiring Khan to remain under medical supervision until at least mid-September.
Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, who attended the examination at PIMS, told media that while her brother is physically fit, “Khan told me that he is being repeatedly tortured in prison”.
The interior and law ministries as well as the jail authorities have not responded to a request for comment from Reuters on the allegations of torture.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Aug 21 Imran Khan was examined at PIMS because of security risks.
Khan’s supporters had lined Islamabad streets overnight, and PTI leaders say the episode will intensify pressure and boost preparations for a planned protest march on Sept 27. REUTERS
