Concerns abound regarding health of incarcerated PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry

LAHORE: The PTI has raised concerns regarding the health of its leader Ejaz Chaudhry, who is currently imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat jail.

The senior PTI leader is serving a 10-year jail sentence, along with other party leaders, for their involvement in violent riots in the country on May 9, 2023.

In a statement, the PTI’s central information wing expressed its concerns regarding Chaudhry’s health and the “negligence” of the incumbent regime.

“According to the latest medical examination, his kidney disease has progressed to stage three,” it said, adding that doctors had stated that the 69-year-old former senator’s treatment was not possible at the jail.

The PTI demanded that state institutions and the current rulers provide proper treatment facilities to Chaudhry and other “political prisoners” in Kot Lakhpat jail and that their cases be heard and decided promptly.

“Justice demands that the political prisoners’ lives should not be put in danger,” it said.

It may be mentioned that several reports had emerged on social media regarding Chaudhry’s health as well as photos in which he was lying down in a hospital bed.

However, his son, Advocate Ali Chaudhry, had clarified that his father had not been shifted to the hospital.

“We are using legal and administrative avenues to ensure he gets medical care, including being shifted to the hospital for a complete and thorough check-up.  He remains incarcerated at Kot Lakhpat Jail at the moment,” he said in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, speaking to Dawn, the former senator’s counsel Rana Mudassar Umer said Chaudhry’s health deteriorated due to negligence in providing proper treatment on time.

He said that Chaudhry had first had issues with his heart in jail. He said that treatment was delayed and he was eventually operated on to fix his stents.

Eventually, he said, Chaudhry’s kidneys were affected and he was not provided with proper treatment and taken back to jail. According to the lawyers, Chaudhry also contracted a gallbladder infection and was taken back to jail from the Punjab Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) against doctor’s advice.

“Now the fresh medical reports, conducted after several requests and court orders, suggest stage three kidney disease,” he said. The lawyer said that he had obtained a fresh court order a couple of weeks ago for Chaudhry’s treatment.

“No proper treatment has begun yet,” he lamented, adding that treatment required a specialised hospital.

Last year, Chaudhry, who was under medical care for a heart condition, was reportedly admitted to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) after suffering heart pain on Feb 20.

Later in August, he was also admitted to PKLI due to a kidney infection and gallstones.