Bushra Bibi asks IHC for full medical check-up and eye specialist care
Bushra Bibi has filed an application in the Islamabad High Court in the £190 million case seeking an eye specialist's examination and her full medical record. Her lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, described her eyes as being in an "extremely vulnerable condition".
- Bushra Bibi filed an application in the IHC in the £190 million case seeking eye treatment and her medical record.
- Barrister Salman Safdar filed an affidavit on Saturday about his 2 November jail meeting.
- She asked for permission to be treated by a specialist at her own expense.
Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, has asked the Islamabad High Court to order a full evaluation of her health and immediate specialist eye care. The miscellaneous application was filed in the £190 million case through Barrister Salman Safdar and lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry.
The application asks the court to direct Adiala Jail authorities to obtain a comprehensive medical report and present the relevant medical documents in court. It also seeks an immediate examination by an eye specialist and an immediate consultation with the jail medical officer.
She has further requested permission for treatment by a specialist at her own expense. The application says her eye condition is deteriorating rapidly and asks for immediate medical measures to save her eyesight.
On Saturday Safdar also submitted an affidavit in the same case describing his meeting with the couple at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. He told the court Bushra's eyes were in an "extremely vulnerable condition". Authorities had allowed the meeting earlier this week after a gap of several months.
According to Safdar, jail authorities told him on 31 October that the meeting was set for 3:30pm on 2 November. It began at 4pm and lasted about 40 minutes.
Safdar said Bushra wore unusually dark glasses and appeared to be in severe distress when she removed them. She told him she could tolerate neither sunlight nor artificial light and could not open her eyes without the glasses. He said Imran Khan appeared worried about her eyesight.
Bushra told Safdar that doctors had diagnosed mature cataract and said another eye operation would be needed around 15 November. She also expressed dissatisfaction with jail cleanliness and her treatment, and asked to be examined by her own doctors. Safdar said he assured her he would raise the matter in court.
The Express Tribune reported that Safdar had last met Imran Khan on 9 April, for 60 minutes, and was not allowed to meet Bushra then. On 18 August the Supreme Court ordered Imran Khan moved to Shifa International Hospital for examination, but on 20 August he was taken to PIMS, declared medically fit and returned to Adiala.
Why it matters
The application is part of the £190 million case, which is closely followed in Pakistan. The court's response will decide whether Bushra Bibi's medical record is produced and whether a specialist of her choice may treat her at her own expense. It concerns the treatment of a prisoner held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
