Pakistan: Court orders medical checkup of Imran Khan, his wife

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 20 : The Islamabad accountability court has accepted the requests for the medical examination of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, and directed Bushra Bibi's endoscopy in a private hospital within two days, The Express Tribune reported.
The decision was made during a hearing presided by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana at Adiala Jail regarding the 190 million-pound scam reference.
Further, in an official post on X, PTI said, The jail authorities, under the control of the illegitimate regime, have repeatedly overruled court orders."
In addition to the statement, PTI stated, "What remains to be seen is whether they will comply with the court orders this time or not."
Moreover, during the hearing, Judge Rana ordered an endoscopy for Bushra Bibi, to be supervised by Dr Asim Younus of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital along with a government doctor, as per The Express Tribune.
Additionally, the judge instructed the presentation of six witnesses related to the reference at the next hearing.
During the proceedings, Judge Nasir Javed Rana ordered the removal of wooden barriers from the courtroom.
Following an hour-long break, the jail authorities removed all additional sheets.
According to The Express Tribune, concerns were also raised during the proceedings by defence lawyers regarding the difficulties faced by journalists in reporting the case. The judge addressed these concerns by inviting media representatives and Imran Khan to the rostrum, subsequently instructing the jail administration to take necessary steps.
During the proceedings, Imran Khan said that toilet cleaner had been mixed into Bushra Bibi's food, causing daily stomach irritation, as reported by The Express Tribune.
The court advised Imran Khan to refrain from holding "press conferences" during the hearings.
In response, the PTI founder stated his statements were misquoted and he spoke to reporters to clarify them, The Express Tribune reported.
The court stressed the importance of decorum, suggesting addressing the media after the hearing, to which Khan stated that the jail administration removes the media from the courtroom after the hearing.
He also requested that the court allow him a 10-minute interaction with the media after the hearings.
Earlier on April 15, Bushra Bibi, filed a petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and requested the court conduct her check-up and medical tests at Shaukat Khanum Hospital or any other private hospital of her choice to examine if she was poisoned through contaminated food, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
In her petition, Bushra Bibi said that she is suffering from heartburn, and aches in her throat and mouth and that she believes that it is the result of eating poisonous meals.
Imran Khan's wife said that she was poisoned and subjected to psychological torture at her Banigala residence, which has been declared a sub-jail, as per the Dawn report.