Right to justice

Judicial relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan is overdue. The government has unnecessarily transgressed by keeping the PTI founder in solitary confinement for over eight months, thereby denying his fundamental rights and overriding the jail manual. The fact that Khan has no access to his family, lawyers and personal physicians, and is suffering from an eye infection, has thickened the plot on his well-being. Thus, the rumour mill on his indisposition is a cause for serious concern to his voters, sympathisers, as well as the party and family. The issue has repeatedly been flagged on the international media by Khan's sons who have valid reservations about the fact that their incarcerated father is being denied lawful access despite express court orders.

The least that the government can do is to provide clarity on his well-being by granting his aides an audience with him and shifting him to a private hospital for appropriate medical care. That, however, should not be seen as a favour, keeping in view past precedents for political leaders, especially one that is lawfully ordained. Rather, it should come as a goodwill gesture that can help lower the political mercury as PTI gears up for street protests on the completion of Khan's three years in prison. The crux, nonetheless, lies with the judiciary. It must uphold the law and the Constitution. A plethora of cases and appeals pending before the superior judiciary concerning Imran Khan and his spouse's relief must see the light of day. The assurance from the apex court registrar that the litigations will be on roll call next week is a positive development, and the court must now walk the talk.

The release of political prisoners and the initiation of a dialogue between the government and the opposition cannot be delayed any further. It is a sine qua non for ushering in political stability at a time when economic miseries are mounting amid an increasingly volatile regional order. Let Imran Khan be seen to have received justice.