PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid was discharged from Lahore’s Services Hospital on Sunday after doctors were allegedly pressurised by a senior police officer, claimed her lawyer Rana Mudassar.
Rashid was hospitalised on Wednesday after she fainted in Kot Lakhpat Jail, reportedly due to a lack of medical treatment. She has been imprisoned for nearly a year, facing multiple charges related to the events of May 9, 2023, when nationwide protests and riots erupted following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Yasmin Rashid was initially detained on May 12 last year under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and re-arrested the next day for her alleged role in the May 9 riots.
On Wednesday, Yasmin Rashid’s lawyer alleged that the 72-year-old senior PTI leader, a cancer survivor, was denied treatment by jail authorities despite severe vomiting and stomach issues.
Mudassar claimed that Yasmin Rashid’s lawyers and family were not allowed to visit her after she was hospitalised. He said that his client was kept in a “very uncomfortable place” at the hospital. She had experienced back pain during her year-long incarceration and the hospital bed’s “uncomfortable and broken” condition worsened her back pain.
Mudassar alleged that doctors had advised Yasmin Rashid to stay in the hospital for “another two to three days” due to a serious infection requiring further investigation. He added that while Yasmin Rashid’s condition had improved, additional tests were still recommended by the doctors.
“She was under treatment when, suddenly, it was reported that a journalist met her unexpectedly. We don’t know how this meeting happened,” he said.
“I have learned from various family and hospital sources that the deputy inspector general operations took the matter very seriously and pressured the doctors, despite their recommendation to keep her for two to three more days. Consequently, despite it being a holiday, doctors discharged her at 8 a.m.,” he stated.
The lawyer further mentioned that they waited for some time hoping Yasmin Rashid would be transported back in an ambulance. Instead, officials “put her in the same van that was parked in the scorching sunlight and took her back to jail.”
The lawyer lamented that Yasmin Rashid was being denied her “basic rights” and emphasized that it was the state’s responsibility to ensure her well-being. He highlighted that Yasmin Rashid’s family was also concerned about her health, fearing that her continued imprisonment under the same conditions might lead to another serious illness, potentially fatal.
“Doctors agree that taking proper care of her is crucial,” he said.
It should be noted that Yasmin Rashid is on judicial remand, meaning the Kot Lakhpat Jail administration, not the police, is responsible for her custody.
The Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent’s office stated that Yasmin Rashid had “recovered,” prompting the decision to move her back to prison.
