By staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Bushra Bibi, the wife of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, was returned to Adiala Jail on Friday after undergoing surgery for retinal detachment in her right eye at a private hospital in Rawalpindi, jail authorities said.
The procedure, performed on Thursday evening after doctors diagnosed the condition following complaints of impaired vision, marked the latest chapter in a string of health concerns surrounding the couple, whose separate incarcerations have become flashpoints in Pakistan’s deeply polarised politics. Bushra Bibi, widely regarded as a spiritual guide and close confidante to her husband, has been in and out of detention since early 2024 and is serving sentences in two high-profile corruption cases. Khan, 73, has been held in the same facility since August 2023.
According to a statement from the Adiala superintendent, she reported blurred vision in her right eye, prompting an immediate examination by ophthalmologists. Retinal detachment was diagnosed, and surgery was recommended. On the evening of April 16, she was transferred to a private hospital in Rawalpindi, where pre-operative tests were completed and she gave her consent for the operation. The procedure was carried out by Prof. Dr. Nadeem Qureshi and a medical panel. She was discharged after the surgery and one night’s stay, with post-operative care and follow-up examinations to proceed according to doctors’ instructions.
Her condition after the procedure was described as stable. Later Friday, family members — including her daughter, son-in-law and sister-in-law — were permitted to meet her inside the prison. The visit lasted more than an hour, according to accounts shared with reporters.
The development came after weeks of public expressions of alarm from Bibi’s family and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan posted on X early on Friday that he had been informed via message late the previous night that Bushra Bibi had been shifted to the hospital and that he would receive a briefing on her treatment. He urged authorities to allow family visits for both Bushra Bibi and Khan, saying such access as a “basic right according to law.” “The earlier, the better,” Gohar wrote. “Their health is too serious and every Pakistani is deeply concerned.”
The PTI had earlier issued a statement expressing “deep alarm” over reports of deteriorating health, calling for an independent medical assessment involving her personal physicians and family. Party officials had pointed to an unverified medical document dated March 28 that circulated on social media, describing symptoms including blurring of vision, a black spot in the right eye, headaches and flashes. A separate PTI statement had referenced a diagnosis of posterior vitreous detachment along with myopia and astigmatism.
Bibi is currently serving a seven-year sentence in a case involving the alleged misuse of authority and corruption tied to the Al-Qadir University Trust, for which she was arrested in January 2025. In December 2025, a special court sentenced both her and Khan to an additional 17 years each in the Toshakhana-2 case. That matter centered on the couple’s purchase at a discounted price of luxury state gifts, including an expensive jewelry set presented to Khan by the Saudi crown prince during a visit in May 2021. Khan and his supporters have long maintained that the cases against them are politically motivated attempts to sideline the opposition.
The health episode involving Bibi unfolded against a backdrop of similar concerns for her husband. Khan has been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion in his right eye, a condition that can cause sudden or progressive vision loss and is often linked to cardiovascular risk factors. Medical reports submitted to the Supreme Court indicate he has lost approximately 85 percent of his vision in that eye. He has undergone multiple procedures at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, including anti-VEGF intravitreal injections to reduce swelling and a third eye intervention in March. Doctors declared his vision satisfactory after that latest visit, though broader assessments — including cardiology evaluations — have been part of court-ordered monitoring.
A five-member medical board, including specialists in cardiology, ear-nose-throat and ophthalmology, conducted a two-hour examination of Khan inside Adiala Jail on instructions from the Islamabad High Court. The court has directed ongoing oversight of his health but has rejected petitions to transfer him to a private facility. Since December 2025, authorities have enforced a blanket ban on meetings with the former prime minister, a restriction confirmed by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
The couple’s prolonged detention has drawn international attention. In December 2025, a United Nations special rapporteur warned that Bibi was being held in conditions that could pose a serious risk to her physical and mental integrity. The same expert had earlier raised alarms that Khan’s confinement might amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, urging Pakistani authorities to adhere to international standards.
For the PTI, the latest medical development has amplified long-standing grievances about the conditions under which its founder and his family are being held. The party had planned a rally this month to press for Khan’s release but postponed it amid diplomatic engagements in Islamabad related to broader regional talks involving the United States and Iran. Party leaders continue to frame the imprisonments as part of a systematic effort to suppress political opposition ahead of any future electoral contests.
Bibi’s role in Khan’s life extends beyond the personal. Supporters often describe her as a stabilizing influence and spiritual adviser whose counsel has shaped both his public persona and private decisions. Her visibility as a political figure in her own right has grown during his absence, even as she has faced her own legal battles. The cases against her and Khan — which include allegations of corruption, misuse of state resources and, in some instances, terrorism-related charges that Khan denies — have kept them entangled in Pakistan’s courts for years.
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