ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Friday suspended a Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC) circular that had stopped medical facilities for a permanently disabled and bedridden patient.

Justice Mohammad Azam Khan issued the interim order on a petition filed by Khalida Mustafa, whose son Arslan Mustafa has remained paralysed and mentally disabled since a severe road traffic accident in 2015. The court admitted the petition for regular hearing and issued notices to the respondents, including the federation of Pakistan, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the PTVC, directing them to file parawise comments before the next date.

The impugned circular dated April 1, 2026, issued by PTVC, withdrew medical facilities that had been granted to the petitioner’s son as a special case under the PTVC Medical Attendance Rules. The facility was initially approved by the then managing director on January 11, 2016, “till recovery of health,” and was continued after the death of the petitioner’s husband, a PTV employee, through a subsequent approval dated September 28, 2023.

Arguing before the court, petitioner’s counsel Qaisar Abbas Gondal contended that once a right has been granted, it cannot be withdrawn at a later stage. The counsel further argued that the right to health is an inalienable fundamental right under Article 9 of the Constitution, being integral to the right to life.

The counsel informed the court that the board of directors of PTVC was not properly constituted, rendering any decision taken by it without legal effect.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2026