RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has issued a contempt of court notice to the superintendent of Adiala Jail concerning the ongoing case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah expressed serious concern over the failure to properly record Imran Khan’s attendance via the court’s video link system during multiple hearings. Instead of utilizing the video link facility, jail authorities submitted a written report (Robkar), citing technical issues with the system.
During the hearing, the court noted that in the previous session, the superintendent had been directed to submit a detailed report explaining the reasons behind the non-availability of video link attendance and Imran Khan’s requests to meet with his personal physicians, including a dentist and eye specialist. The failure to comply with these directives was considered a clear violation of court orders, amounting to contempt under Section 37 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
In light of this, the court issued a show-cause notice to the superintendent under Section 37, demanding an explanation for the non-compliance. The court has also summoned the jail official in person on February 6 to address the matter.
This development follows a request from Imran Khan’s legal team for access to his personal medical practitioners at Adiala Jail.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Professor Dr. Rana Imran Sikander, confirmed that Imran Khan, aged 74, received treatment at PIMS after experiencing reduced vision in his right eye.
In a video statement, Dr. Sikander explained that Imran Khan had recently complained of diminished vision in his right eye. A team of senior ophthalmologists at PIMS conducted a comprehensive eye examination, which included slit-lamp examination, fundoscopy (ophthalmoscopy), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, laboratory tests, and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) of the retina.
Based on the evaluation, Imran Khan was diagnosed with right central retinal vein occlusion (RVO) a serious condition caused by blockage of the veins responsible for draining blood from the retina. Following this diagnosis, hospital-based follow-up treatment was advised.
Imran Khan was subsequently brought to PIMS on the night between Saturday and Sunday for the necessary procedure, according to Dr. Sikander.
