ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said health matters should remain above politics, stressing that every prisoner was entitled to medical facilities under the Constitution and law.
Speaking about the Supreme Court’s decision concerning the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the minister said his party had consistently maintained, both in government and opposition, that politics should not be brought into matters relating to health.
Speaking alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Tarar said prisoners would continue to receive medical treatment in accordance with the law and jail manual.
However, he said whether a prisoner could seek treatment at a particular private hospital was a legal question and warranted a review petition.
“This is a legal matter and there should be no politics on it,” he said, adding that it needed to be clarified whether the right to medical treatment available to every prisoner also extended to treatment at a specific private hospital.
The minister said there was no ambiguity over the provision of medical treatment and it was the responsibility of the government and executive to ensure healthcare facilities for prisoners under the jail manual.
He said his party had never made any statement regarding the PTI founder’s health or treatment that could be construed as mocking or politicising the issue.
Referring to earlier statements by the PTI founder about prisoners falling ill after entering jail, as well as demands for home-cooked food and medicines, Tarar urged people to avoid making “big claims”.
“The impression being sought to be created will never be fulfilled,” he said, reiterating that his party had always sought to keep politics separate from health-related matters.
On meetings with prisoners, Tarar said political activity should also remain separate from such matters.
He recalled that meetings had taken place in the past, but the government had urged that political statements should not be made during such meetings, a position that was also reflected in the court’s directions.
