LAHORE: A new bathroom with a five foot high wall with a door has been built in the attack jail Imran Khan’s cell after the former Pakistani prime minister complained to the court about poor living conditions and lack of privacya senior prison official of the Punjab government said on Tuesday. Khan is serving a three-year sentence after being convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case.
Spokesperson of Punjab Prisons Department (PPD) said that all facilities available under 257 and 771 of Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978 have been made available to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boss, Geo News reported.
The spokesperson’s clarification comes after Attock Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafquat Ullah Khan visited the cell of 70-year-old Khan in Attock Jail and found that his complaints and concerns about living conditions, including lack of privacy in the bathroom, were “genuine”.
The judge in his observations on Monday said Khan during his visit had expressed “serious concerns” about the violation of his privacy and the prevailing living conditions inside the prison.
Responding to concerns that Khan had no privacy in the bathroom, the spokesperson said a new bathroom has been built in the PTI chairman’s cell.
“The walls of the bathroom are kept five feet high and a door has also been installed,” he said, adding that a western dresser and sink have also been installed.
The cricketer-turned-politician, who has a huge fan following across Pakistan, is currently serving a three-year sentence in Attock Jail after being found guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case earlier this month.
During his meeting with the judge, Khan raised significant concerns regarding a CCTV camera placed in front of the bars of his prison, located five to six feet away, covering an open toilet-latrine.
Regarding the CCTV cameras, the spokesperson said they were installed outside the room.
“CCTV cameras have been installed outside Imran Khan’s room for his and the jail’s security. More than 4,000 CCTV cameras have been installed not only in Attock district jail but also in other jails of Punjab for security purposes,” the statement added.
He further said that amenities such as bath soap, perfume, air freshener, towels and tissues had been provided, along with a bed, pillows, mattresses, tables, chairs, air conditioners and exhaust fans.
He further added that five doctors had been appointed for Khan, one of whom was available at all times, and that the PTI chief was given “special” food only after he was examined by the doctors.
“Fruits, honey, dates, prayer rugs, the Koran and books were also delivered,” the spokesperson added.
Khan was also reported to have complained that his wife and lawyers did not have easy access to him; However, the spokesperson said that the PTI president’s family meets him on Tuesdays, while his lawyers visit him on Thursdays.
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, last week expressed concern over the possibility that her husband was “poisoned” during his imprisonment in Attock jail.
In a letter dated August 17 addressed to the Punjab Home Minister, Khan’s wife had requested that the former chief minister be shifted from Attock district jail to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, expressing fear that he might be poisoned in jail.
According to the letter, the former prime minister’s life was in danger since “he had previously been attacked twice and one of them he was shot (sic) in the body.”
In a related development, the PTI Central Committee meeting highlighted the observations of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan, who “verified the poor treatment being meted out to him (Khan) in Attock Jail”.
The PTI said the judge’s report substantiated its claims that the PTI president was being subjected to inhuman and illegal treatment in Attock prison.
Meanwhile, caretaker Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said the PTI chief was allowed to receive visitors and provided them with facilities according to the kind of prison he requested.
Bugti said he would definitely ask the Punjab government and jail officials about other issues raised in the inspection report, such as the CCTV camera.
“We will ensure that he is provided with all those facilities and the kind of prison that (Imran) asked for and deserves as a former prime minister under the law. As far as I know, he has a bed and is provided with newspapers, but he will only get the facilities that the relevant laws allow.”
Khan is scheduled to appear in the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday for the hearing on his guilty plea against his conviction and sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case, a verdict that could be crucial for his political future and for his party ahead of the general elections.