Govt hits back at Imran’s gripes over prison conditions

• In Sunday Times ‘interview’, PTI founder claims being kept in solitary confinement ‘like a terrorist’
• Tarar rebuffs allegations, says ex-PM occupies ‘presidential suite’; insists he victimised PML-N leaders in the past

ISLAMABAD: The government on Sunday hit back at the claim that former prime minister Imran Khan is being “caged like a terrorist”, saying the PTI founder was enjoying “royal treatment” in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

In an ‘interview’ published in The Sunday Times, British journalist Christina Lamb wrote that Mr Khan claimed he was in “solitary confinement with barely any space to move”, and alleged that he was under constant surveillance by intelligence agencies.

However, it is not clear exactly how the interview was conducted, as access to the incarcerated former PM is strictly controlled and limited to his legal team and close family members. Even KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has had difficulty meeting his party’s leader, on occasion.

The Sunday Times stated that the interview was conducted through his lawyers, since Mr Khan is not even allowed access to pencil and paper.

Responding to the claims made in the article, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Ms Lamb was mistaken.

This convicted person lives in a presidential suite. He has an exer-cycle, a walking gallery and a kitchen at his disposal, and is given a lavish menu of what he wants to eat in the day, he said.

The minister said Mr Khan holds three meetings every week with his lawyers, friends, family and political leaders in the ‘presidential suite’ that has been created for him.

We have never believed in political victimisation and nor have we ever done it, he said, describing the story as a tool to fool the foreign community.

Mr Tarar argued that while he was in power, Imran Khan put many people behind bars, including women, and recalled the “victimisation” of PML-N leaders such as Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Rana Sanaullah, who he said were actually sent to “7 feet by 8 feet death cells”.

“He used to openly state that I will not let any medicine get to them in the prison; I will not let them have home food and I will not let them meet people.

He used to say that and now he is enjoying a lavish lifestyle in jail,“ the minister said.

Mr Tarar claimed he could say on oath that the government had never passed any directions to treat him differently from other prisoners.

In the ‘interview’, Mr Khan said he spends most of his time in the prison planning for the future, insisting that he will be back.

“Despite being caged, the entire country looks to me for hope and resilience. Most importantly, my prayers keep me steadfast, my belief in God assures me that justice will prevail over tyranny,” the article quoted him as saying.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024