RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Saturday dismissed an application filed by PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, seeking permission for a medical check-up by his personal doctors at Adiala jail.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court declined to grant access to Mr Khan’s private physicians inside the jail.
Appearing for the PTI founder, counsel Faisal Malik argued that as a former prime minister, his client deserved the same medical facilities previously extended to other ex-premiers, citing Nawaz Sharif as precedent. He contended that Mr Khan was an undertrial prisoner and had the legal right to be examined by doctors of his choice. The lawyer also claimed that Adiala jail lacked adequate facilities for specialised eye treatment.
Referring to Pakistan Prison Rules, Mr Malik said Rule 795 required that a prisoner’s family be informed before any medical treatment. He questioned why Mr Khan had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) late at night, stating that he had not been taken out of jail for three years. Denial of access to personal doctors, he argued, amounted to discriminatory treatment.
Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the plea, arguing that Mr Khan was on bail in the GHQ attack case related to the May 9 events and convicted in other cases, and therefore could not be treated as an undertrial prisoner whose custody could be regulated by a criminal court. He further maintained that the ATC lacked jurisdiction to issue directions regarding jail administration or medical arrangements. Under prison rules, he said, medical care was the responsibility of government-appointed doctors, with no provision for private physicians.
