By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition on Wednesday demanded an immediate meeting between jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his family amid conflicting reports about his health, including an eye condition that party officials said could lead to permanent vision loss if untreated.
Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who has been imprisoned since August 2023, was taken to a hospital in Islamabad over the weekend for treatment, according to PTI leaders, though details remained unclear and his sister dismissed concerns about his eyesight.
At a press conference in the capital, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the party had learned through credible reports that the ex-premier was suffering from an ailment risking permanent eye damage. He described the situation as “distressing for the nation, the party and the family.” “The family should have been taken on board for moving him for medical treatment. To this day, we have still not been informed about the disease for which he was taken to the hospital, which doctor examined him, why he was taken back [to jail] and why the need arose for doing so,” Gohar said.
He alleged Khan was transported to the hospital under strict security on Saturday night and returned to Adiala jail afterward, without notifying relatives or party members. A senior doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to local media that Khan was brought in for a procedure that took some time. But another doctor at the facility declined to discuss the matter, saying it could become politicised by the PTI.
Gohar urged the government not to block meetings with Khan until at least Feb. 8, the anniversary of last year’s general election, which the opposition claims was marred by irregularities. “Let the meetings happen … do not deny meetings until February 8 under any circumstances,” he said. “A meeting with the family is very important. We demand that today, if not tomorrow, a meeting be arranged between Khan sahib and his family, and we are informed about his health. This is our demand.”
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, speaking alongside Gohar, said Khan’s personal physician had been denied access despite no political ties. He said petitions filed by PTI senators and lawmakers in the Islamabad High Court seeking meetings with Khan were rejected, with objections that the petitioners lacked standing. “I learnt today that the IHC has refused to hear these petitions as regular petitions,” he said. “We mentioned in our petition very clearly that we have grave concerns about the reports regarding Imran Khan sahib’s health and that his personal doctors should be allowed to examine him immediately. But we were told that this petition does not qualify for a hearing.”
The party approached the chief justice’s chambers, urging administrative intervention to arrange a meeting, but no immediate action was taken. Raja described the circumstances as bordering “on barbarism” and again demanded an end to Khan’s solitary confinement.
Separately, five senior PTI leaders held at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail – Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed – issued an open letter demanding proper medical care for Khan. “Imran Khan’s eye infection has resulted in central retinal vein occlusion and may produce permanent damage to the eye and loss of vision, if not treated properly,” the letter stated, shared by their counsel Rana Mudassar. The leaders, writing through Rashid, called the condition “extremely serious” and urged the government to admit Khan to a hospital of his choice, labeling the denial of treatment “shameful.”
They appealed to Pakistan’s chief justice to intervene personally and ensure visible action. On Tuesday, the PTI cited “credible media reports” on its official X account, saying Khan had been diagnosed with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, a blockage posing “a high risk of permanent damage to his eyesight” without prompt care. But Khan’s sister, Noreen Khan, rejected the health concerns, telling reporters he had no eye issues and was in good condition. She accused unnamed parties of spreading “false information” to sow confusion.
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