Imran Khan’s sister says the jailed former prime minister told her he feared suffering the same fate as Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accuses Pakistan’s government of defying a Supreme Court order over his hospital transfer.
Morsi, Egypt’s former president, died in 2019 after collapsing in court following nearly six years in prison.
The PTI, which was founded by Khan, has decided to move the Supreme Court with a contempt petition against the government for defying the court’s order to transfer Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital.
It was announced Khan was released fromo prison to be treated at the Shifa International hospital, but was sent to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead
Imran Khan’s sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, who met him at PIMS Hospital late Thursday night held an emergency press conference in Islamabad alongside Khan’s personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, and PTI leaders, where she briefed the media about her brother’s health.
During the press conference, Dr. Khan said Imran Khan told her during their meeting at PIMS Hospital, where he was undergoing a medical examination, that he was being subjected to torture and inhumane treatment in jail and that he believed his condition was deteriorating because of prolonged isolation.
Quoting her brother, she said: “I have been wronged, and I have been tortured. I used to tell the prison authorities that Mohamed Morsi was killed in the same way. I would tell them about my condition, but they would not provide me with treatment. I told them that the same thing had happened to Morsi.”
According to Dr. Khan, Imran Khan also told her that a doctor who had examined him had linked his deteriorating health to the lack of human contact resulting from his prolonged confinement. She said her brother complained that he had been largely deprived of newspapers, reading material and television for about 10 months, which he said had left him in prolonged isolation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also addressed the press conference, expressing concern over the conduct of the government and administration on Thursday. Afridi said the Supreme Court’s ruling, issued by a three-member bench, to transfer Khan to Shifa International hospital had effectively been disregarded, describing the move as contempt of court.
He questioned the ability of the judiciary to enforce its own rulings, saying judges across Pakistan must now decide whether they can ensure compliance with their decisions or whether the courts themselves have been rendered ineffective.
Senior leaders PTI as well as other opposition politicians, have also accused the government of defying the Supreme Court and described the move as contempt of court.
Speaking at a separate media briefing on Friday, PTI Secretary-General Barrister Salman Akram Raja strongly criticized the government, calling its decision an attack on Pakistan’s judicial system. Raja described the alleged violation of the Supreme Court’s order as “a tragedy” and an attempt to turn the country into a “graveyard.”
PTI has long maintained that Khan is being held in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail without adequate medical care. The party approached the Supreme Court, which on August 18 ordered his transfer to Shifa International Hospital and directed the formation of a medical board, including his personal physician, Dr. Sultan and his sister Dr. Khan.
The development has further heightened political tensions and sparked growing concern among Khan’s supporters in Pakistan and abroad over his health.
