DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan on Monday condemned the continued refusal to allow family members and legal counsel to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, describing the restrictions as a violation of constitutional rights and court orders.
In a statement, the minister alleged that the federal and Punjab governments had intensified political victimisation by denying the former prime minister access to his family and lawyers despite legal provisions permitting such meetings. He said depriving Imran Khan of his constitutional, legal and fundamental human rights was “highly condemnable” and urged the authorities to comply with the Constitution and judicial directives.
Jan also claimed that Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, had remained in solitary confinement for more than eight months, calling it a serious violation of human rights and prison regulations. He further alleged that the couple had been denied Class B prison facilities and expressed concern over what he described as inadequate attention to Imran Khan’s health.
The provincial minister said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Imran Khan’s sisters and the PTI leadership had pursued all available constitutional and legal avenues to obtain permission for meetings with the former prime minister, but their requests had repeatedly been turned down.
He demanded that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be shifted to Al-Shifa Eye Hospital, arguing that the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) lacked a retina specialist required for their medical care.
Drawing a comparison with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Mr Jan said the latter had been allowed access to his personal physicians and regular meetings with family members and party leaders during his imprisonment. He alleged that Imran Khan, by contrast, had been denied medical treatment, family visits and other facilities guaranteed under the law.
Calling for the implementation of court orders, the minister demanded that both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be provided all facilities in accordance with the Constitution and prison rules.
He added that the PTI would continue its “peaceful political, constitutional and legal struggle” for the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and democracy.
