Pakistan rejects allegations of mistreatment, medical neglect of imprisoned ex-Premier Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's administration on Friday rejected allegations by the family and party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan that he was being subjected to "cruelty, mental torture, punitive solitary confinement and medical neglect" as baseless, saying the accusations weren't backed by.

Key points

• The former cricket star turned politician was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.
• Faisal Sultan, remarked that he had been escorted to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for Khan until early Friday.
• Information Minister Attaullah Tarar remarked earlier Friday that Khan had been returned to prison after doctors examined him and identified him medically fit.
• The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Khan be examined at Shifa International Hospital by a medical board that included specialists and one of his personal physicians.
• According to the ministry, Khan's most recent recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons was on March 21.

Khan isn't being held under a administration order, but as a "convicted prisoner" serving sentences imposed by courts after judicial proceedings, the Ministry of Information noted in a written response to The Associated Press.

Notably, the government's response came hours after Khan's family and opposition party accused authorities of violating a Supreme Court order by taking him to a administration hospital for a medical examination instead of a private hospital designated by the court.

When her brother was brought there overnight, pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan moved to hospital from jail after SC order Khan's sister, Uzma Khan, informed a news conference that she was at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, a government-run hospital in Islamabad.

According to Khan's sister, during a gathering with her, Khan complained that he had been kept in solitary confinement, which she noted amounted to mental torture for him. Suhail Afridi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, additionally accused the administration of violating the order by taking Khan to the public hospital.

Khan's personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, remarked that he had been escorted to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for Khan until early Friday. Sultan remarked he was eventually informed that Khan had been returned to Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

In practice, the ministry additionally rejected allegations that Khan was being held in solitary confinement or denied meaningful contact with his family. It remarked that Khan had received more than 900 visits from family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other approved visitors since his imprisonment in 2023. It remarked that he additionally has been allowed weekly meetings with his wife, and telephone, landline and WhatsApp contact with relatives in Pakistan and abroad.

According to the ministry, Khan's most recent recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons was on March 21. It remarked that Khan's sisters had met him as lately as Aug. 18 and 19.

Authorities stated Khan has access to reading material and television, and is allowed home-cooked food and exercise equipment and "maintains a healthy diet." It noted, even so, that access to Khan couldn't be applied to send political messages from prison.

For context, the ministry rejected allegations of medical neglect, saying Khan had undergone regarding 30 examinations by specialists and medical boards from institutions including PIMS, Shifa International Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, along with regular examinations by the prison doctor.

For context, the ministry remarked Uzma Khan had herself acknowledged at Friday's news conference that her brother was "100% fit, " with blood pressure of 120/80 and his eye condition almost completely healed.

It additionally disputed descriptions of Khan's detention conditions, saying he was being held in a seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities, and was provided separately prepared meals that included meat, chicken, fruit, milk, nuts, juices and bottled water.

For context, the administration insists that authorities took Khan to the public hospital as of security reservations involving supporters of Khan's PTI party who had gathered outside Shifa International Hospital or were heading there. He remarked that Khan was identified to be in good health.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Khan be examined at Shifa International Hospital by a medical board that included specialists and one of his personal physicians.

Reservations concerning Khan's health intensified in late January, after his family noted that he had lost concerning 85% of the vision in his right eye. It the administration disputed. According to Authorities afterwards, his condition was improving.

Notably, the former cricket star turned politician was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.

For now, pakistan rejects allegations of mistreatment, medical neglect of imprisoned ex remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.