The request was presented by his attorney, Salman Safdar, during the court’s consideration of appeals lodged by Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, against their convictions in the £190 million corruption case.
In January of the previous year, an accountability court in Islamabad sentenced the 73-year-old Khan to 14 years and Bibi to seven years of imprisonment in connection with the corruption case overseen by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
During the proceedings, Safdar urged the court to pause the execution of the sentence, contending that the case had been pending for over 16 months and had already undergone 17 hearings in the appeal, as reported by The Dawn newspaper.
Safdar raised concerns regarding Khan’s vision, asserting that it has significantly worsened.
“Imran Khan’s eyesight has diminished to 15%, with 85% of his vision impaired,” he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.
The defense attorney claimed that the damage to Khan’s eye seemed to be irreversible.
Safdar also expressed concerns about the conditions under which his clients were being detained.
“The two issues are the eye problem and why they are kept in solitary confinement,” he stated, mentioning that Khan shared with him that he could not see well from one eye, with medical professionals indicating that the situation was irreversible.
The attorney informed the court that Khan had been transferred to the hospital multiple times, and such medical facilities were lacking at Adiala Jail.
“It has reached a stage where we need to summon the IG Prisons, superintendent, and deputy superintendent,” Safdar remarked.
He also requested the court to instruct the hospital to release complete medical records.
Safdar noted that Bushra Bibi was also impacted by the case, highlighting that she was “arrested during the judgment.”
The Chief Justice of the IHC, Sarfraz Dogar, queried Safdar on why he was not concentrating on the principal appeal, noting that it could be resolved swiftly.
Dogar mentioned that appeals were being processed regularly and could be concluded quickly with scheduled arguments. However, Safdar maintained that the suspension requests should be addressed first.
The attorney reiterated his call for the summoning of the Punjab Prisons IG and hospital personnel, along with the full medical documentation.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned.
Also Read | Jaish commander Salman Azhar, close aide of Masood Azhar, dies under mysterious circumstances
The corruption case revolves around allegations connected to the Al-Qadir Trust, a charitable organization managing a university near Islamabad. It is claimed that the trust was utilized as a facade to acquire land valued at millions from a real estate mogul.
NAB asserts that the donations were made in exchange for the former prime minister’s administration using repatriated funds from the UK to settle fines on behalf of the businessman instead of depositing the amounts into the national treasury.
Khan has refuted the allegations, insisting that neither he nor his wife gained any financial advantage from the trust or associated transactions.
