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The PTI on Monday condemned the alleged political victimisation and \u201cinhumane\u201d jail conditions faced by incarcerated former MNA and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza.<\/p>\n
The party claimed that essential medical care and basic rights were not being provided to the incarcerated leader, which was a grave erosion of justice, due process and constitutional protections.<\/p>\n
The Islamabad police arrested Raza and presented him before a Faisalabad anti-terrorism court, which sent him to jail<\/a> to serve his 10-year jail term<\/a> in the May 9 case. The SIC chief was convicted in the case along with several PTI leaders on July 31.<\/p>\n In a statement issued by the PTI Central Media Department, the party vehemently condemned Raza\u2019s treatment during his detention.<\/p>\n \u201cHis arrest \u2014 carried out while he was on his way to voluntarily surrender before the court \u2014 and the subsequent denial of his basic rights in jail reflect a disturbing pattern of political persecution and a blatant disregard for human dignity,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The PTI strongly demanded that Raza be immediately provided access to necessary medical care and legal facilities in jail.<\/p>\n \u201cHis family and legal counsel must be allowed to meet him in a proper and unhindered environment. PTI also calls for the prompt and impartial hearing of his appeals<\/a> to ensure that justice is delivered without delay,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n The statement further asserted that his sentence reflected a broader political vendetta, while the conditions he was enduring in jail were \u201cutterly intolerable\u201d. The PTI expressed serious concern for his health and fundamental rights.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is being denied essential medication, while his family members and lawyers are forced to meet him through bars in inappropriate and restrictive conditions \u2014 an outright violation of constitutional guarantees,\u201d the statement claimed.<\/p>\n It stated that equally troubling was the fact that a Lahore High Court (LHC) judge recused himself from hearing the petitions of Raza and others on November 14, resulting in unnecessary delays in the judicial process and undermining their right to timely justice.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the party noted that the failure to stay the by-election<\/a> in constituency NA-104 had paved the way for an imbalanced and one-sided electoral process.<\/p>\n