The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday rejected petitions filed by three prisoners who wanted treatment at private hospitals. They also sought permission to contact their family members living abroad.
Justice Muhammad Asif heard the separate petitions filed by Ilyas Khan, Muhammad Ismail and Awais Altaf.
The court also rejected the request to communicate with family members abroad. It referred to a previous decision of the Supreme Court while making the decision.
The IHC later issued its written decision about the facilities available to prisoners.
Prisoners seek treatment at private hospitals
The prisoners had asked the court to allow them to receive treatment at private hospitals.
They also requested the formation of a medical board to examine their health conditions.
The court said that imprisonment limits a person’s freedom under the law. However, not every facility can be considered a basic right.
The court said a prisoner does not have a legal right to choose a private hospital for treatment.
State responsible for prisoners’ treatment
The IHC said that the state is responsible for providing medical care to prisoners. It added that government hospitals are part of the system responsible for their treatment.
The court noted that jail rules already provide a way to move a prisoner to an outside hospital when needed.
It said that if a government hospital cannot provide the required treatment, the authorities may consider a private hospital. However, this should be done on the recommendation of a medical board.
The court directed the jail administration to provide all medical facilities to prisoners according to the law.
Govt strongly rejects claims
Before this, the government of Pakistan has categorically rejected claims that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan is being denied telephone calls or kept in solitary confinement. It called such allegations misleading and contrary to documented facts.
The claims were raised by Khan’s family, including his son, with Zulfi Bukhari also alleging that Khan was deliberately taken to a government hospital instead of a private facility.
However, the government has maintained that Khan was taken to a government hospital due to security concerns.