LAHORE: Incarcerated former health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has written an open letter to the Lahore High Court chief justice making an appeal for justice, legal protection and an independent inquiry into the treatment of women political prisoners.

The open letter has been shared by PTI’s lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer, which was written on May 19 and made public on Wednesday (June 17) as Dr Rashid claimed that no action was taken on her appeal for the sake of women political prisoners.

She also intends to send a reminder to the LHC CJ.

When LHC CJ Aalia Neelum assumed her office, she stated many women across Pakistan felt both happiness and hope: happiness that a woman had risen to one of the highest judicial offices in the province, and hope that women suffering within the justice system might finally be heard.

Unfortunately, she stated, despite the passage of time, women political prisoners remain deprived of relief protected by specific legal concessions.

Bushra Bibi, Aalia Hamza Malik, Sanam Javed Khan, Falak Javed Khan, and Rai Firdous are all examples of women associated with PTI, who have faced prolonged imprisonment, repeated arrests, false or disputed cases, humiliation, denial of relief, and in some cases deteriorating health or physical mistreatment.

She has appealed that the cases of women political prisoners be fixed and heard on priority on the basis of evidence and law.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2026