Three more prisoners at Adiala Jail have approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to receive medical treatment at private hospitals, following the Supreme Court’s recent order allowing former prime minister Imran Khan to be shifted to a private facility for treatment.
The petitions have raised concerns within the government that the Supreme Court ruling could encourage other prisoners to seek similar relief.
In its review petition before the Supreme Court, the federal government had argued that allowing convicted prisoners to receive treatment at private hospitals could disrupt the existing prison system and lead to a “floodgate” of similar applications.
The matter is now before the IHC, where Justice Muhammad Asif sought comments from the Adiala Jail superintendent on petitions filed by prisoners Ilyas Khan, Muhammad Ismail Khan and Owais Altaf. Notices were also issued to the prison authorities, with the hearing adjourned until Aug 27.
During the hearing, Barrister Akhtar Chheena, representing Muhammad Ismail Khan, said his client was suffering from haemophilia and had developed internal bleeding. He told the court that the prisoner had been taken to hospital around 10 times over the past two months but his condition had not improved.
According to the counsel, the required treatment was currently available only at Shifa International Hospital. Referring to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, he argued that prisoners should be allowed to seek treatment at private hospitals when the necessary medical facilities are unavailable at government hospitals, with the cost borne by their families.
The lawyer also requested the formation of a medical board to determine whether the required treatment was available at a government facility. He questioned whether a prisoner could be denied treatment at a private hospital if a necessary procedure, such as a liver transplant, was not available in the public sector.
Owais Altaf’s petition was also taken up by the court. His lawyer, Syed Jafar, appearing through video link, said the prisoner was suffering from fever and a heart condition.
He argued that access to appropriate medical treatment was a fundamental right of prisoners and claimed that the required facilities were not available at government hospitals. He therefore sought permission for Altaf to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment.
In a separate plea, Muhammad Ismail Khan also requested permission to communicate with his brother, who resides in Dubai. His counsel asked the court to direct jail authorities to facilitate communication between the two.
