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The continued denial of due prison rights to former prime minister Imran Khan is now simmering into a political storm. The PTI seems to be losing its patience, and a confrontation is on the cards after the holy month of Ramazan. K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who in his de jure capacity also tried to seek lawful access to the incarcerated leader, has hinted at a long march towards Islamabad. The planned agitation comes in continuation of his street mobilisation wherein he made great strides in Lahore and Karachi in galvanising the lost momentum in the party.
This muscle-flexing needs to be read with persistent efforts on the part of the PTI’s legal team which is seen running from pillar to post to seek relief for Khan. The prime demand of the party is to shift him to a private hospital for treatment of his soaring eye-infection – in the presence of his personal physicians and with his family on board. That is a justified demand which sits in line with the jail manual and fundamental human rights.
The government’s non-cooperative attitude in the context amounts to political victimisation. It comes at the cost of political stability in the country – and that too at a time when security concerns loom large. The manner in which the PTI has been pushed to the wall does not bode well for democracy. Likewise, the obstacles on the path of justice are unwarranted. The legal cases against Khan and his wife falls well within the module of seeking lawful relief, and that must come their way. The intransigence on the part of the courts is setting a bad precedent, giving credence to the assumption that judiciary is “managed” and under the influence of the executive.
The government is already under fire and is getting bad press on Khan’s incarceration. Recently, the issue also resonated in the House of Commons as well as the Commonwealth group. Moreover, former cricket greats too voiced concern over the skipper’s well-being. The way out is to deal with Khan’s cases as per law, and to provide him with due medical care. That is sine qua non for stalling the rising hostility between the government and the PTI.
