Imran Khan's 'life under peril' in prison, claims Pakistan's former ruling party

Imran Khan's 'life under peril' in prison, claims Pakistan's former ruling party 

Khan was detained and sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Islamabad.

Pakistan's Islamabad - The party of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says it is worried for his protection and safety since "his life is under threat" there.

Khan, 70, was detained and given a three-year prison sentence after being found guilty of corruption on Saturday by a court in the nation's capital, Islamabad.

READ THE LIST OF 4 ITEMS AGAIN.

Imran Khan of Pakistan was arrested and given a three-year prison sentence.

list 2 of 4 What led to Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan, being detained?

Imran Khan of Pakistan has been imprisoned; is this the end of his political career?

List 4 of 4 A fresh census may cause Pakistan's general election to be postponed.

The former prime minister has not been permitted to speak with his attorneys for the past two days, according to Shah Mehmood Qureshi, deputy chairman of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who spoke to Al Jazeera.

The party leadership, according to him, is "extremely concerned" about Khan's welfare.

"Khan's security and safety are our top priorities. His life is allegedly in danger, and I implore the nation's higher courts to take note. We sincerely hope that justice will be served. Qureshi, a former Pakistani foreign minister, claims that his arrest represents a "attack on democracy."

Qureshi claimed that despite Khan's status as an ex-premier, he was not provided with the necessary facilities in the jail in Punjab province where he was being held.

"Khan's rights as a prisoner have not been respected. Gaining access to him is difficult for us. We don't know what he's eating, and we have no idea how he's being handled there," he said.

The two jails are located in Punjab province. "The court order was to transfer him to Adiala jail, but instead he was taken to Attock prison, and nobody has explained to us why that is so," he added, referring to the two jails.

In Punjab, Attock is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) to the north of Rawalpindi, a garrison town. The Pakistani government has not yet provided any explanation for the modification in the prison.

Is this the end of Imran Khan's political career?

One of Khan's attorneys, Intazar Hussain Panjutha, told Al Jazeera that they were trying to meet with him to get permission to file a lawsuit to challenge his incarceration.

"All we need now is a power of attorney from him. However, we first need to meet him. According to him, the jail administration has so far delayed and rejected his right to speak with his attorneys.

The attorney continued, "We are told he is being held in solitary confinement in a small cell."

Khan received the prison term for lying to Pakistan's Election Commission about the gifts he had received from foreign leaders and governments while serving as prime minister.

Khan will not be eligible to run in the upcoming general elections because of his conviction, which bars him from doing so for the next five years.

Prior to being dismissed from office after losing a vote of confidence in parliament, Khan served as prime minister between 2018 until 2022.

Since that time, the PTI has been the target of a government crackdown that got worse in May as a result of widespread protests over Khan's temporary detention in a different corruption case.

Thousands of PTI officials and members have been detained for targeting military and governmental facilities. Many of those who were detained will be tried under harsh military regulations.

Despite this, Khan is still the most well-liked politician in the nation due to his desire for reform.

Taimur Jhagra, the leader of the PTI, stated that the party's morale is strong despite Khan's jail and that anyone hoping for the party's demise should be disappointed.

"Khan has given his supporters hope and a dream, and whether you or I like it or not, the people definitely like it," he said to Al Jazeera.

Qureshi stated that the immediate holding of general elections is the only demand of his party.

"The only way to move forward is polls, which is a democratic and sensible way to get the country out of its current political and economic crisis,"