Imran Khan Alleges ‘Torture’ in Solitary Confinement, Sister Says
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has alleged that prolonged isolation and restrictions on human contact amount to severe mistreatment and “torture,” his sister Dr Uzma Khan said on Friday after meeting him during a medical examination at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Dr Uzma gave her account of the overnight medical examination and said her brother repeatedly complained about his conditions at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
According to her, Khan asked her to tell the public that he was being subjected to severe mistreatment. She said the former prime minister compared his circumstances with those of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who died after collapsing during a court appearance in Cairo in 2019.
The allegation is Khan’s account as relayed by his sister and has not been independently verified. Pakistani authorities have maintained that he is being provided adequate healthcare and have rejected allegations of neglect. Court filings from the jail administration say medical officers regularly monitor his health.
Uzma Details Overnight PIMS Examination
Dr Uzma said she was called to Adiala Jail at around 8:30pm before being transported to PIMS, where she met Khan during his examination.
She said doctors checked his blood pressure and examined his eye. According to her account, Khan received an injection in one eye while the other was covered with a patch.
Dr Uzma said his blood pressure reading was 120/80 during the examination and described him as physically fit, but said he appeared to be experiencing significant anxiety.
Her account comes amid a continuing dispute over Khan’s medical care. The Supreme Court had ordered authorities on August 18 to transfer him to Shifa International Hospital within 48 hours for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. The order also permitted Dr Uzma and Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, to remain associated with his treatment.
Instead, Khan was examined at the state-run PIMS before being returned to Adiala Jail early Friday. Reuters reported that he was back in prison after a shorter-than-expected hospital visit, while PTI said the move violated the Supreme Court’s instructions.
The federal government had earlier challenged the direction to transfer Khan to the private Shifa International Hospital, arguing that requiring treatment at a private facility was discriminatory and that appropriate treatment could be provided at a government hospital.
Claims of Isolation and Lack of Human Contact
Dr Uzma said Khan repeatedly complained that he had been deprived of regular human contact, television and reading material during his incarceration.
She quoted him as saying he had been kept isolated and that restrictions on interaction were affecting his wellbeing.
Medical records submitted to the Supreme Court provide some context to those complaints. An August 1 examination at PIMS recorded complaints of fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches and restlessness. Khan attributed some of his stress to infrequent meetings with family and social contacts and lack of access to newspapers and television.
A subsequent medical board recommended relaxation in his prison routine, access to newspapers, magazines, television and books, and more frequent interaction with immediate family members or his spouse as measures that could help manage anxiety and blood pressure.
Those medical recommendations support the existence of concerns about stress and limited social interaction, but do not independently establish Khan’s allegation that he has been tortured.
Government and PTI Remain at Odds
Khan’s health and conditions of imprisonment have become another major point of confrontation between the government and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Jail authorities recently told the Supreme Court that his eye condition had improved significantly and his vision was “almost normal” following treatment by specialists. PTI and Khan’s family, however, have continued to raise concerns about his health, access to personal doctors and conditions in detention.
The Supreme Court has stressed the state’s obligation to protect the “life, health, dignity and security” of people in custody and has also ordered regular family contact for Khan.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, while facing other legal proceedings. He maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated. The government denies political persecution.
The latest allegations are likely to intensify the political dispute over his treatment, particularly as PTI considers further legal action over what it says was a failure to fully implement the Supreme Court’s hospitalisation order.
