Barrister Salman Safdar cites 15% vision, requests urgent hearing in Toshakhana-II and £190m cases
A file photo of PTI founder Imran Khan and Advocate Salman Safdar. — PTI USA OFFICIAL
ISLAMABAD:
A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana-II case and his release on bail on medical grounds.
The petition was filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry on Saturday. A miscellaneous application has also been filed seeking an early hearing of the case related to the suspension of sentence in the £190 million case.
Read: Imran Khan’s right eye at 15% vision, SC report details jail conditions
According to the petition, the Toshakhana-II case warrants suspension of sentence both on merit and medical grounds. The former premier is suffering from a serious condition in his right eye, the petition reads, diagnosed by Dr Muhammad Arif of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, who stated that his right eye has been severely affected due to a blood clot.
Vision in Imran Khan’s right eye has been reduced to only 15%, the petition states, arguing that treatment for this condition is not possible inside jail. Given that the 73-year-old former premier requires urgent medical attention, he should be released on bail, it adds.
Speaking to the media at the IHC, Barrister Safdar said they have filed appeals for the fourth time on behalf of the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi. “We have requested that the bail applications be fixed for hearing on Monday,” he stated, adding that “Bushra Bibi is a woman; she has not been granted bail for a year.”
Read More: Opposition sit-in enters day two, vows to continue until Imran shifted for eye care
The lawyer noted that for the past year, no petition has been fixed for a hearing. “During Ramazan, courts mostly hear bail matters. We met the chief justice and submitted a request to the registrar,” he said, noting that it has been more than a year since the Al-Qadir Trust case was filed, and it still hasn’t been fixed for a hearing.
“We tried through correspondence as well; it has been two months since then. Today we have filed petitions in light of medical grounds and requested that they be fixed for a hearing next week,” Safdar said.
Dismissing the cases as “hollow and baseless,” the lawyer argued they are not matters involving the death penalty or life imprisonment. “On merit, the Toshakhana and Al-Qadir cases are matters of half an hour. The Islamabad High Court should at least fix the cases for hearing,” he said.
Safdar noted that medical grounds are an additional basis for the bail application. “The matter of the founder’s treatment is before the Supreme Court. The court directed the Attorney General to ensure that treatment is provided. We have also requested that his check-up be conducted in the presence of his personal physicians and family.”
Also Read: Damning SC report on Imran’s health stirs political storm
When asked whether Imran Khan himself reported the vision loss or doctors informed him, Safdar clarified: “The founder told me in an interview that doctors at PIMS Hospital had informed him. After tests and research, doctors at PIMS informed him that 85% of his vision had been lost and only 15% remains.”
As concerns regarding the PTI founder’s health continue to surge among party leaders, the Tehreek-e-Tahfuz-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) protest sit-in outside Parliament over Imran’s deteriorating health entered its second day on Saturday.
Leaders have vowed to continue their protest until Khan is transferred to Shifa International Hospital for urgent eye treatment.
