- Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's party filed contempt against Shehbaz Sharif's government in Islamabad
- PTI condemned PIMS for not conducting recommended CT Coronary Angiography on Khan despite available equipment
- Supreme Court ordered Khan's treatment at Shifa International Hospital, but he was sent to PIMS instead
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party has filed a contempt petition against the Shehbaz Sharif government in Islamabad after authorities sent him to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility ordered by the Supreme Court. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has also condemned the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for failing to conduct a medically recommended diagnostic test on the 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician despite the availability of a functional CT scanner on the premises, Dawn newspaper reported.
Call for Action
"The petition seeks action against the prime minister, law minister, information minister, and other government officials," said Naeem Panjutha, a legal adviser for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
PTI's Central Secretary Information, Sheikh Waqas Akram, also called out the "continued failure" of authorities at PIMS to conduct the CT Coronary Angiography (CTA) procedure on Khan despite cardiologists complaining about potential risks of cardiac complications. He demanded that Khan be immediately conducted at Shifa International Hospital.
Allegations of Neglect
Khan was taken to PIMS last week for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations. Doctors reportedly recommended a CTA of the heart, but hospital officials said the required facility was unavailable. He was subsequently returned to Adiala jail without undergoing the test.
"...This cannot be dismissed as an isolated administrative lapse; it reflects a deeply troubling pattern," Akram said, adding that required specialist facilities were available at Shifa International Hospital.
The PTI leader also referred to a Supreme Court order concerning Khan's comprehensive medical examination and treatment at Shifa International Hospital, alleging that authorities had bypassed the directive and instead transferred him to a facility where the CT angiography was not performed.
"When the necessary facilities were available at Shifa International, deliberately taking Khan to a hospital unable or unwilling to perform the procedure raises a grave question: was the decision made in advance to prevent the CT Coronary Angiography from being conducted?" he asked.
Akram said a government medical board had examined Khan on August 10 following complaints of heart palpitations and severe headaches. He said a cardiologist at PIMS had already recommended the CTA on August 1 due to fluctuating blood pressure, restlessness, and potential risks of cardiac complications, given Khan's age and prolonged isolation.
"Even the government's own doctors considered this diagnostic test necessary," Akram stated. He said these reports had "intensified concerns regarding repeated delays and apparent negligence in providing Imran Khan with timely and appropriate medical care."
'Show Records'
Akram also called for the "prompt disclosure of his (Khan's) complete medical records, reports, and diagnostic results to his family, personal doctors, and legal team."
Following PTI's protest, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week formed an inquiry committee, headed by the establishment division secretary, to establish facts and fix responsibility.
The PTI leader, however, declared that Imran Khan's heart health cannot be "subjected to political calculations, administrative excuses, or further delay."
"Political victimisation must never be permitted to endanger a human life through the denial or postponement of essential medical care. The decision to take him to a facility where the required test was not conducted, despite the availability of the necessary facilities at Shifa International, has created serious concerns that the procedure was intentionally prevented," he alleged.
"The government and all relevant authorities will bear full responsibility for any further deterioration in his condition," Akram warned.
Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, in a corruption case and has remained in custody since then. He has been lodged in Adiala Jail, a detention facility on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.
The PTI founder's relatives and supporters have repeatedly alleged human rights violations and accused the authorities of restricting his access to adequate medical care, family visits, and legal counsel.
