ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condoled with Iraq after 92 people were killed in a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq earlier this week.
More than 100 people were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya, Iraqi officials said.
“The government and people of Pakistan are saddened over the tragic incident of fire that erupted in a hospital in Nasiriya, Iraq,” the Pakistani foreign office said. “We extend sincere condolences to the government and fraternal people of Iraq on the loss of precious lives and injuries caused to many. Pakistan stands with brotherly Iraq in this hour of grief.”
An investigation showed the fire began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that then exploded, police and civil defense authorities said.
It was Iraq’s second such tragedy in three months, and the country’s president on Tuesday blamed corruption for both. A statement from the prime minister’s office called for national mourning.
Pakistan condoles with Iraq after 92 die in fire in COVID-19 ward
https://arab.news/9hg94
Pakistan condoles with Iraq after 92 die in fire in COVID-19 ward
- More than 100 people were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya
- Pakistan stands with brotherly nation Iraq in “hour of grief,” foreign office says
Pakistan court orders full eye exam for jailed ex-PM Imran Khan, PTI party says
- Party says directive supports concerns over medical access in custody
- Lawyer earlier told reporters Khan’s health “is fine” after prison visit
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Thursday the Supreme Court had ordered a full eye examination of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan to be completed before Feb. 16, escalating a dispute between the government and Khan’s family over his medical care in prison.
Concerns about Khan’s health have resurfaced in recent weeks after authorities confirmed he had been briefly taken from prison to a hospital in Islamabad for an eye procedure. The government said at the time his condition was stable, while PTI leaders and Khan’s family complained they had not been informed in advance and alleged he was being denied timely and independent medical access.
The issue was taken up by the Supreme Court earlier this week, which appointed senior lawyer Salman Safdar as a “friend of the court” to visit Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison and submit a written report on his living conditions.
In its statement on Thursday, PTI said the court had now directed that Khan undergo a comprehensive medical review of his eye condition.
“The Supreme Court’s order for a complete eye check-up of Imran Khan vindicates the party’s longstanding concerns about his deteriorating health and denial of timely, independent medical care in custody,” the party said, adding that he should be given “immediate” access to his personal physician.
Safdar, who met Khan in prison on Tuesday, had earlier sought to calm speculation about his condition.
“It is fine,” Safdar told reporters outside the prison when asked about Khan’s health, declining to provide further details. “I will speak about the rest in the report.”
According to a copy of an earlier court order seen by Arab News, the Supreme Court had tasked Safdar with submitting a written report regarding the “living conditions of the petitioner in jail,” noting that a previous report related to Khan’s detention at Attock jail in 2023 did not reflect his current circumstances.
In its latest statement, PTI framed the court’s directive as part of a broader legal principle.
“This is bigger than one medical test. It is about whether the rule of law applies to political opponents, or only to protect those in power,” the party said, demanding “immediate and transparent implementation of the Court’s order” and “unrestricted access to qualified specialists of his choice.”
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 in connection with multiple cases that he and his party say are politically motivated, an allegation the government denies. He was removed from the PM’s office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
There was no immediate response from the government on Thursday to PTI’s latest statement.
