ISLAMABAD: The opposition lawmakers staged a protest in the Senate on Thursday over the health report of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, leaving the chair with no other option but to abruptly adjourn the sitting instead of giving time to them to speak on the matter.
The government urged the PTI lawmakers to desist from doing politics on the health of their leader. Ignoring the presiding officer’s repeated requests for calm, the opposition members pressed him for time to express their sentiments over the founder’s health report. They kept shouting while the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Senator Nasir Butt noted it was a violation of the chair’s ruling to bring photographs of Imran Khan inside the House, as almost all the opposition parties’ senators placed a photograph of their leader on their desks.
The chair abruptly adjourned the House till Friday after expressing inability to conduct proceedings amid the opposition’s protest and remarks by some treasury members.
As the House resumed, Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas wanted putting aside the routine business to take up Imran’s health report, submitted by Barrister Salman Safdar before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and living conditions in the jail and said it gave a different account from the one given by the government. He pointed out: “It was assured that Imran Khan is in a good health, and he is not facing a big (health) problem that should invite any concern”. He called it a criminal act of the jail superintendent and authorities concerned, which they demonstrated and did not give due attention when the “jailed politician, a high-profile prisoner, repeatedly raised alarm about problem in one of his eyes”. They didn’t provide him with the required medical facilities timely.
The opposition leader then put a question to “all the senior politicians sitting over here…who are those people who take the things to this point while it is a matter of basic human rights”. Referring to Islamic teachings, he said any negligence that caused loss to one eye vision was a crime and amounted to payment of ‘diyat’ or blood money, an Islamic financial compensation paid to the heirs of a victim in cases of homicide or bodily harm. He remarked: “A grave crime has been committed and we know the real culprits behind it; For how long politicians would continue to confront one another.” He called for the need of unity to ensure the rule of law and their respect.
The opposition leader demanded that the government immediately allow Imran Khan’s access to his family and personal physicians besides two specialist doctors for the specific eye disease. He insisted on fixing responsibility on responsible individuals. He argued that the jailed PTI leader did not deserve this unfair brutal treatment and added that this treatment could not be justified on the grounds that the leadership of the incumbent government faced similar behaviour in the past.
He announced sending a document mentioning all the rights violations in the case of jailed former PM to international rights organisations and foreign ambassadors, urging them to help in putting an end to this injustice. He called on the politicians to move forward to exercise their civil powers to avoid any future incident that could create more polarisation in the society.
Responding to him, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said the provision of health facilities and treatment was a basic human right and added that the report submitted to the SC mentioned all facilities being provided to the PTI founder. He claimed that this report itself was a negation of the narrative of solitary confinement. The PTI chief in the report did not claim that he was not provided treatment facilities. He only expressed his dissatisfaction about the treatment being provided.
The special assistant said whenever the founder of PTI complained, he was treated, and it was a big crime to take this matter forward in a political manner. “If the jail superintendent or anyone from this side plays politics on the health of founder of PTI, it is a big crime,” he said, adding that he (Imran) has been given the best treatment in the country and that if there is a better doctor than PIMS in the cancer hospital, he can also be checked by him. The Supreme Court, after seeing both reports, has said Imran should be further checked by a specialist doctor.
He said whatever was discussed after sitting with the founder of PTI’s lawyers would be implemented. “I tell the opposition that you should not do politics on anyone’s health. If you have anything more to say on this, you should go to the Supreme Court. Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, you should also not do politics on this matter,” he argued.
After the presiding officer did not allow more PTI members to speak over the issue, they loudly started protesting the ruling. To this, Senator Nasir Butt objected and referred to a previous ruling of the chair disallowing members to bring photos in the House.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar also endorsed the treasury member, saying that it should not become normal to bring photos in the House daily. The chair asked the opposition members to remove photos from their desks, but they refused and continued their protest, forcing him to adjourn the House.
