LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi has claimed that the life of the former prime minister is in danger and “he may be poisoned in the jail through food”.

In a letter addressed to the additional chief secretary (home), the former first lady has expressed concern over the health and security of the incarcerated PTI chairman and demanded that her husband be provided the facilities of home food, B-class and personal physician in jail, besides shifting him from Attock prison to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

When contacted, a senior government official said the home food facility could not be provided to Mr Khan as “the government cannot take any risk”.

The official said the PTI chief was being provided separately cooked food and that too under surveillance and checking by doctors.

“The government cannot take any risk to his health and security while Mr Khan is in jail,” a senior government functionary said.

The official said the Punjab government had on Aug 11 already ordered the grant of “Better Class” to the former premier.

In her letter, Bushra Bibi stated that Mr Khan was previously attacked twice, once hit by bullets on his body.

She said her husband was taken to Attock jail without any lawful jurisdiction as Adiala was the designated jail for ICT. She said the lawfully allowed class and facilities were not available in Attock jail and it reflected sheer violation of the basic fundamental rights of her husband. Attock jail lacked even the very basic amenities, she added.

Bushra Bibi regretted that her husband has not so far been allowed to have home food as per jail manual. While the jail authorities were required to provide all facilities within 48 hours, these were not provided to the former PM even after the passage of 12 days, she said.

She requested that Mr Khan be provided the basic human right to have medical and health facilities through private and personal physician.

Bushra Bibi also urged the additional chief secretary to undertake an exhaustive legal inquiry to elucidate the legality of her husband’s current detention and issue an order to shift him to Adiala jail.

When contacted, a government spokesman told Dawn that all of Mr Khan’s medical tests were clear and added that doctors were monitoring his health. He said the PTI chief’s lawyers continued to meet him and could do so again after submitting a formal request.

Meeting with ambassadors

PTI Information Secretary Rauf Hassan confirmed media reports about a meeting between the party leaders and the US ambassador in Islamabad. Talking to Dawn, he, however, claimed that it was not an exclusive meeting and envoys of some eight other countries were also present on the occasion.

The meeting, he said, had taken place about two days ago at a breakfast hosted by the Australian high commissioner for the PTI leaders.

Mr Hassan said that besides him, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Senator Ali Zafar were present in the meeting during which they apprised the envoys of the evolving situation in the country.

The PTI information secretary categorically refuted reports that the party leaders had discussed the “cipher issue” with the US ambassador.

Judicial probe

The PTI on Friday reiterated its demand for constituting powerful and high-level judicial commissions to probe the controversial cipher and May 9 events so as to ascertain the facts and bring the truth to the fore.

The demand was made by the party’s core committee after receiving a comprehensive briefing by a team of lawyers on the progress regarding the cases of Imran Khan.

The core committee, according to a press release issued by the PTI’s Central Media Department, stressed the need for the formation of the much-needed empowered judicial commissions to determine the facts.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2023