Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said the government will seek a review of the Supreme Court’s order regarding former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s transfer to a hospital, arguing that the directive went “beyond the legal parameters”, local media reported on Wednesday.
“After reviewing the law, the authorities are of the view that this order does not fall within the legal parameters governing the facilities that can be provided to a convicted person in jail,” Tarar said in a video statement, according to the Express Tribune.
Tarar said consultations had been held on certain aspects of the order involving jail authorities and the Islamabad administration, particularly the court’s direction for Imran Khan to undergo a medical examination at Shifa International Hospital.
According to the newspaper, Tarar said the government would seek an appropriate modification to the order so that Khan could instead be examined at a tertiary-care government hospital. He added that medical experts or specialists from other major institutions could be included in the medical board, in line with the court’s directions or as it considered appropriate.
Tarar also said the law provided for the formation of a medical board to determine whether a prisoner’s treatment should be carried out inside or outside jail.
“If prisoners are taken to private hospitals for such medical check-ups, there are thousands of prisoners across Pakistan facing various complications and illnesses,” he said.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling on Tuesday, expressed concern over the deterioration of the jailed PTI leader’s health.
“We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation of the state, and consequently of the Supreme Court, to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of persons in custody,” the court observed.
Meanwhile, Dawn said in an editorial on Wednesday that reports about Khan’s health suggested he may have been suffering from one ailment or another for several months, despite repeated denials from his jailers that he was unwell.
The newspaper criticised the treatment of former leaders in custody, saying it was unbecoming of a state to treat former leaders so poorly. It also pointed to the past treatment of senior leaders of the PML-N and PPP, arguing that they could have earned goodwill by intervening to ensure political rivals were not treated similarly while in power.
(with IANS inputs)
