ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Wednesday strongly criticised both the party leadership and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) over decisions related to the former premier’s medical treatment and the delay in fixing his cases for hearing.
A day earlier, Imran was taken to hospital for follow-up treatment of an eye condition that surfaced in late January. However, PTI objected to what it described as secrecy surrounding the procedure and the exclusion of family members from the process. The opposition has also been demanding that the jailed leader’s cases be scheduled for early hearings.
Speaking to reporters, Aleema said her brother’s health was the family’s foremost concern and insisted that no decision regarding his treatment should be made without their consent.
Referring to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s statement on February 17, she noted that while the minister publicly claimed Imran had received medical care, party leaders were unable to clarify what treatment had been administered.
“Why is no one confirming or denying what treatment was given?” she asked.
Aleema alleged that the family had suggested a panel of doctors — including Dr Asim, Dr Uzma Khan and Dr Barki — for examination at Shifa International Hospital, but their recommendations were either turned down or ignored. She said the family later discovered that treatment had been carried out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) without their knowledge.
“We demanded treatment at Shifa, but when we raised concerns, we were sent to jail,” she claimed.
She further alleged that government doctors were facing pressure and announced that the family would now raise such matters publicly instead of discussing them behind closed doors.
Aleema also questioned the silence of senior PTI lawyers and leaders, naming Hamid Khan, Ali Zafar, Latif Khosa and Barrister Gohar, and asked why they were not actively pursuing the party founder’s cases.
“Where are the senior lawyers who received party tickets? The founder repeatedly asked them to file his cases,” she said.
She expressed frustration that updates about meetings and medical arrangements were coming from the interior minister rather than PTI representatives. “Will we get information from the minister or from our own party?” she asked.
Commenting on delays in court proceedings, Aleema said Imran had been appearing in court for the past 13 months to pursue his cases, yet obstacles continued to emerge.
“We sit in court for hours, but the cases are not fixed,” she said, alleging that on one occasion when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister attempted to speak in court, the chief justice left the courtroom.
She maintained that courts were meant to provide relief and claimed such practices were inconsistent with judicial standards elsewhere.
Separately, senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja told reporters that court orders allowing meetings with the PTI founder were not being implemented. He said the IHC had directed that two weekly meetings — one for lawyers and one for family — be arranged, but alleged these were not being facilitated despite the KP chief minister’s presence.
Raja further claimed that contempt petitions over non-compliance had not been heard and that applications for medical examination were also pending.
“In a case related to an X account, the court asked us to meet the founder and submit a reply. How can we file a response without meeting him?” he questioned.
He said the party would approach the Supreme Court if relief was not granted.
KP Chief Minister also told reporters that he had tried to address the chief justice in open court but was not heard. “I went to the rostrum while fasting and greeted the chief justice, but he did not respond,” he said, adding that PTI sought to register a peaceful protest rather than create unrest.
Barrister Salman Safdar said that if bail petitions were not fixed for hearing, the matter would be taken directly to the Supreme Court.
Later, the IHC administration scheduled an early hearing plea for Thursday.
On Monday, opposition members staged a protest outside the Supreme Court, demanding that the incarcerated former premier’s cases be promptly fixed for hearing and that he be allowed to meet his family.
Imran, who has been in prison since August 2023, is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and was recently convicted in another case related to state gifts.