KP govt seeks access to Adiala jail to examine Parvez Elahi

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Sunday sought access to Adiala Jail to medically examine the injured leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.

The demand was made by Adviser to Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif in a video message.

The adviser expressed concern over the attitude of the Punjab government towards the PTI leader and termed it worrisome.

Ch Parvez Elahi served as the Punjab chief minister and deputy prime minister in the past. He is interned in Adiala Jail currently.

Barrister Saif said the KP government wanted to send a medical team to Adiala Jail to confirm if Ch Parvez Elahi had suffered injuries in a fall or was subjected to torture.

The KP government alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was carrying out revengeful actions against her political opponents.

Barrister Saif said the KP government was concerned about the safety of the PTI founder Imran Khan, Ch Parvez Elahi and other party leaders lodged in the Punjab jails.

“I want to warn Maryam Nawaz that criminal cases will be registered against her if it was proven that Parvez Elahi was physically tortured,” said the KP government adviser.

Barrister Saif said that Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz would be proceeded against under the international laws as physical and mental torture was a crime.

He said the KP government reserved the right to resort to legal means if the medical team was not allowed access to Parvez Elahi.

Barrister Saif said the Punjab government had banned meeting prisoners at Adiala and other jails of the province, citing security issues, which, he said, was a mere drama. “It is a violation of the international laws,” he asserted.

Our correspondent adds from Lahore: While reacting sharply to a statement of Barrister Saif, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said on Sunday Parvez Elahi fell in a washroom and got injured, as stated by the Adiala Jail officials.

Barrister Saif, before levelling an allegation against Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, should read the jail officials report, she said. “Instead of getting treatment for Parvez Elahi, you should get your own chief minister treated, who was suggesting to people that they should hit officers with bricks,” the minister added.

Azma said Parvez Elahi’s son had no worries about his father. The ‘Tonga Party’ had developed a habit of levelling allegations of their every crime against Maryam Nawaz, she added.

“Maryam Nawaz is too much busy and has no time to monitor activities of every worker of Tonga Party,” she said, adding that Maryam was focusing on serving people of her province and she does not care for her opponents may it be Ali Amin Gandapur or Barrister Saif.