Afridi alleges ‘gross negligence, criminal recklessness’ in PTI founder’s medical care
DLP Report
ISLAMABAD
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Thursday termed the treatment of former prime minister Imran Khan in jail “extremely alarming” and called for an immediate medical examination by his personal physicians.
Addressing a press conference outside the Supreme Court and later at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House following the hearing of Mr Khan’s case, the Chief Minister alleged that “gross negligence and criminal recklessness” had been shown regarding the PTI founder’s medical condition, which he described as falling within the ambit of medical abuse.
Mr Afridi claimed that an official medical report admitted that Mr Khan had lost most of his eyesight, with only 10 to 15 per cent remaining. However, he questioned the credibility of the report, saying Mr Khan’s personal doctors had not been allowed to conduct a complete examination.
He alleged that when Mr Khan was shifted to hospital, neither his family nor his personal physicians were informed, terming it an act of “bad faith and fear”. He warned that if such steps had been taken affecting Mr Khan’s eyesight, “even more serious harm could follow”.
The Chief Minister said that if such treatment could be meted out to a former prime minister and head of the country’s largest political party, it raised serious concerns and reflected “malicious intent”.
He expressed concern over what he described as a prolonged delay of nearly a year in fixing the cases of Mr Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Islamabad High Court, warning that denial of justice erodes public trust.
He also criticised the governments in Punjab, Sindh and at the federal level, alleging they lacked public mandate following the Feb 8 general elections.
He said terrorism continued to pose challenges in Balochistan and KP, while even the federal capital was not fully secure.
CM Afridi paid tribute to the sacrifices of the KP Police and the Counter Terrorism Department for thwarting terrorist attacks.
CM-KP claimed that Pakistan’s total debt had exceeded Rs80 trillion, including Rs36 trillion in external liabilities. He said exports were declining and the trade deficit widening, alleging that the dollar had been “artificially restrained”.
He maintained that peaceful protest was a constitutional right of citizens and called for Mr Khan to undergo a medical examination by his personal doctors by Feb 16, in line with what he described as the chief justice’s directive. He said those responsible for any wrongdoing would be brought before the law
