LAHORE: A new washroom with a five-feet high wall with a door has been constructed at the Attock jail cell of Imran Khan after the former Pakistan prime minister complained to the court about the poor living conditions and lack of privacy, a senior Punjab government prison official said on Tuesday.
Khan is serving a three-year sentence after being convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case.
The Punjab Prisons Department’s (PPD) spokesperson said all facilities available under 257 and 771 of the Pakistan Prisons Rules, 1978 have been made available to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Geo News reported.
The clarification by the spokesperson comes after Additional District and Sessions Judge, Attock, Shafquat Ullah Khan visited 70-year-old Khan’s cell in the Attock jail and found his complaints and concerns regarding living conditions, including the lack of privacy in the washroom to be “genuine”.
The judge in his observations on Monday said Khan on his visit had expressed “grave concerns” about the violation of his privacy and the prevailing living conditions within the prison.
Addressing the concerns that Khan did not have any privacy in the bathroom, the spokesperson said a new washroom was constructed in the PTI chairman’s cell.
“The walls of the washroom are kept five feet high and a door is also installed,” he said, adding that a western commode and wash basin have also been installed.
The cricketer-turned-politician, who has a massive 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.
Khan during his meeting with the judge raised significant concerns regarding a CCTV camera positioned in front of his prison bars, located at a distance of five to six feet, which covers an open bathroom-cum-latrine.
Regarding the CCTV cameras, the spokesperson said that they were installed outside the room.
“CCTV cameras have been installed outside Imran Khan’s room for his and jail security. More than 4,000 CCTV cameras have been installed not only in district jail Attock but also in other jails of Punjab for security purposes,” the statement added.
He further stated that amenities such as bath soap, perfume, air freshener, towels, and tissue papers had been provided, along with a bed, pillows, mattresses, tables, chairs, air conditioners, and exhaust fans.
Moreover, he added that five doctors had been appointed for Khan, of whom one was available at all times, and the PTI chief was only given “special” food after it was checked by doctors.
“Fruits, honey, dates, prayer mat, Quran and books have also been given,” the spokesperson added.
It was also reported Khan complained that his wife and lawyers had no easy access to him; however, the spokesperson said the PTI chairman’s family meets him on Tuesdays, while his lawyers visit him on Thursdays.
Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi last week voiced concerns about the possibility of her husband being “poisoned” during incarceration at the Attock jail.
In a letter dated August 17 addressed to the Punjab home secretary, Khan’s wife had sought the ex-premier be transferred from district jail in Attock to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, expressing fear that he could be poisoned in lock-up.
According to the letter, the life of the ex-prime minister was in danger as “he was previously attacked twice whereby once he was hit by bullets shots (sic) on his body”.
In a related development, the PTI Core Committee meeting highlighted the observations of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan who “verified the bad treatment being meted out to him (Khan) in Attock Jail”.
The PTI said the judge’s report subscribed to their assertions that the PTI chairman was being subjected to inhuman and illegal treatment in the Attock prison.
Meanwhile, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said the PTI chief was allowed to meet visitors and provided facilities according to the prison class he applied for.
Bugti said he would definitely enquire from the Punjab government and jail officials about other issues raised in the inspection report such as the CCTV camera.
“We will ensure that all those facilities and the prison class he (Imran) applied for and deserves as the ex-prime minister according to the law are provided to him. As far as I know, he has a bed and is provided with newspapers but he would get only the facilities that the relevant laws permit.”
Khan is on Tuesday scheduled to appear before the Islamabad High Court for the hearing of his plea against his conviction and sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case, a verdict that could be crucial for his political future as well for his party ahead of the general elections.