The US-based daily newspaper Washington Post has cited that the government of Pakistan has rejected allegations by the family of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leaders that he has been subjected to mistreatment, solitary confinement, psychological distress and medical neglect in prison.
According to The Washington Post, which cited an Associated Press (AP) report, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said in a written response that Imran Khan was not being held in prison under a government order. Instead, it said, he was serving sentences imposed by the courts following judicial proceedings.
The government’s response came hours after Imran Khan’s family and the PTI objected to his transfer to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a government hospital in Islamabad, for medical examinations.
They had alleged that the transfer breached a Supreme Court order under which a private hospital had been designated for his medical assessment.
Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, in a press conference held on August 21, said that she was at PIMS when her brother was brought to the hospital late at night.
She said Imran Khan told her during their meeting that he was being kept in solitary confinement and that the situation amounted to psychological distress.
Senior PTI leader and the Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sohail Afridi, also described the transfer to PIMS as a violation of the Supreme Court’s directions.
Imran Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, said he had gone to Shifa International Hospital and waited there until Friday morning to examine his patient.
The Ministry of Information, in response to these allegations, rejected them by saying that Imran Khan was never held in isolation and denied meaningful contact with his family.
According to the ministry, Imran Khan has had more than 900 meetings with family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other authorised individuals since his arrest in 2023.
The government further added that he was permitted weekly meetings with his wife and could communicate with relatives in Pakistan and abroad by telephone, landline and WhatsApp.
The officials added that the most recent recorded telephone conversation between Imran Khan and one of his sons took place on March 21, while his sisters had met him on August 18 and 19.
The ministry said access to Imran Khan could not be used to send political messages from prison.
The government also rejected claims of medical neglect, saying Imran Khan was regularly examined by prison doctors.
The ministry said he had undergone about 30 medical examinations by various specialists and medical boards, including doctors from PIMS, Shifa International Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.
It also said Imran Khan’s sister had described him as “100% fit” at a news conference on Friday.
According to the government, Imran Khan’s blood pressure was recorded at 120/80, and the condition of his eye had almost completely improved.
The Ministry of Information said Imran Khan was being housed in a compound consisting of seven cells, with facilities for sleeping, hygiene and exercise.
It said he was provided with separately prepared meals, including meat, chicken, fruit, milk, nuts, juice and bottled water.
The government also said he had access to reading material and television, as well as exercise equipment.
The government said security concerns were behind the decision to transfer Imran Khan to PIMS rather than Shifa International Hospital.
As per the government officials, PTI supporters had gathered outside Shifa International Hospital or were moving towards the facility, prompting authorities to transfer Imran Khan to the government hospital.
The competing accounts come as Imran Khan’s family and the PTI continue to raise concerns about his treatment in prison, while the government maintains that he is receiving appropriate medical care and prison facilities and that his access to family members and authorised visitors has not been restricted.
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