Barbs fly in Senate over PTI founder’s health, access to political prisoners

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday witnessed a war of words over the health and treatment of PTI founder Imran Khan and the conditions of political prisoners, with opposition members demanding an independent committee to visit jails and the government advising legal recourse for any relief.

PTI Senator Azam Swati said the PTI founder had “lost sight in one eye” and called on the state to grant him and his wife their basic human rights as Pakistani citizens.

“We need to unite at this time. Inhumane treatment is never justified,” Swati said, urging the government to “change its decisions and try to improve the situation.”

Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Senate Opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said denying someone their rights was oppression, and that “one who is satisfied with the oppressor’s cruelty is also an oppressor.”

“By jailing political workers, we are shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said. Abbas proposed a committee of two to three senators, including government and opposition members, to meet the PTI founder and other political prisoners and submit a report to the House.

“Let everyone stand against whoever is stopping us from visiting jails,” he said, adding that the Senate should set an example by not tolerating excesses against politicians.

PTI Senator Faisal Javed said the party had no access to Adiala jail and questioned why treatment could be arranged — and even overseas medical care could be provided — for Nawaz Sharif but not for the PTI founder. He called for PTI leaders and family members to be granted access to Adiala jail, where the PTI founder is imprisoned.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said both Imran and his spouse Bushra Bibi were being provided the best medical treatment available in the country.

He said jail meetings were being regulated under court-approved procedures. A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had devised a mechanism allowing meetings twice a week, with separate days for lawyers and family members, he said.

Sanaullah said PTI leaders, including Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, had assured the court that meetings would not be used for political messaging or media campaigns. However, he said the understanding was repeatedly violated through press conferences and international media campaigns.

“Campaigns targeting state institutions and their heads were carried out abroad. Evidence regarding such activities can be presented whenever required,” he said.

He added that a five-member medical board formed on the recommendation of PTI’s own doctors had endorsed the treatment being provided. Sanaullah also said the parliamentary rules of business did not provide room for a committee to interfere in executive matters related to prison administration.

Noting that an “action” which succeeds is called a revolution, he said a failed attempt to bring about a revolution is treachery that entails consequences, adding that the May 9 violent protests were an example of this.

Imran’s arrest on May 9, 2023, triggered widespread riots across Pakistan, during which government buildings and military installations — including the GHQ in Rawalpindi — were stormed and vandalised. Following the unrest, a crackdown was launched against the PTI, with dozens of terrorism cases lodged against its leaders and supporters.

Sanaullah added that the events of May 9 were attacks on national institutions and those responsible will have to face the music.

He added that repeated attempts to march on the capital and confront the state had further complicated the political environment.

Over the past year, PTI leaders and Imran’s family have expressed growing concerns over his health.

The government and the opposition have been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency on the matter, of not ensuring appropriate treatment for Imran, and of not allowing his personal physicians access to him. The government denies these allegations.

The opposition has also demanded that the former premier be shifted to Shifa International Hospital.