IHC rejects request for PTI founder’s shifting to hospital

ISLAMABAD, Mar 12 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday rejected the request to immediately shift the founder of PTI from Adiala Jail to a private hospital for medical treatment and ordered the Chief Commissioner ICT to form a medical board to examine the health of the PTI founder.

The court said that the medical board will decide whether to shift the founder of PTI to the hospital or not. The court did not accept the request to include the personal doctors of the PTI founder in the medical board, but ordered the formation of a board comprising PIMS’s Dr. Arif and a private hospital’s Dr. Nadeem Qureshi.

The court said that the family should be informed as per the jail rules and a meeting should be arranged with the lawyers and the family as per the decision of the larger bench. Dr. Nadeem Qureshi should be in touch with the family.

A two-member division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro disposed of the request to shift the founder of PTI to a private hospital with instructions.

During the hearing, Sardar Latif Khosa argued that the founder of PTI has been complaining of sight problem in his right eye since October. The doctors of Adiala Jail considered the matter normal. When his eyesight was almost lost, he was brought to PIMS. During this time, the family lawyers were not informed anywhere.

Latif Khosa said that the government has the authority to suspend the sentence. The founder should be immediately transferred to Shifa International Hospital. Dr. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Asim Yousaf should be allowed to treat the PTI founder because they are aware of his entire medical history. Latif Khosa read out the jail rules in front of the court. He said that the fundamental rights of the prisoner, international laws are being violated. We are very concerned about the health and life of the founder.

Salman Akram Raja said that the personal doctors of the PTI founder were given access to the jail in the past. The court can give instructions in this regard.

After the arguments of the founder PTI’s lawyers were completed, Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat read out the Supreme Court order in front of the court and said that the it had ignored the request for access to the founder’s personal doctors. The Supreme Court had said that there should be an eye specialist. Dr. Nadeem Qureshi of Shifa Eye Hospital was included in the board on his request. Justice Arbab Tahir said that we had also done Google and Dr. Nadeem Qureshi is the best specialist.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro said that we do not have any paper from the medical board. Justice Arbab Tahir said that you should definitely shift him to Shifa International Hospital for two hours. We will not say three days or three months. Let’s see, you are taking all this responsibility.

Advocate General Islamabad said that PTI founder’s current health condition is satisfactory and he is receiving the best treatment.

Justice Arbab Tahir said that prisoners have rights in our constitution too.

Later, the court disposed of the case with the instructions.