By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan spoke to his sons by phone for about 20 minutes and was “extremely happy to hear their voices,” his sister said on Saturday, days after a court ordered authorities to let him contact his children amid reports of severe vision loss in one eye.
The conversation marked the first time Khan had spoken with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, in a long period, according to Aleema Khan, who detailed the call in a post on social media platform X. “The chief justice of Pakistan had directed that Imran Khan be allowed to speak with his sons. We can confirm that he was able to speak with them for approximately 20 minutes,” she wrote. “His sons shared that he was extremely happy to hear their voices after such a long time.”
The development followed a Supreme Court directive on Thursday that also mandated the formation of a medical board to examine Khan, 73, after his lawyer submitted a report revealing the former leader had lost 85% of the vision in his right eye. Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, told the court that Khan had been left with only 15% vision in the eye, quoting the politician as saying he had been experiencing “persistent blurred and hazy vision” since October 2025. The report noted that jail authorities had taken no action despite Khan’s complaints. Safdar’s submission came after a two-hour meeting with Khan that the Supreme Court had ordered, setting a February 16 deadline for authorities to grant Khan access to his personal physician for a full assessment of his condition. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has previously said Khan was taken to hospital this month for a 20-minute eye treatment procedure.
Aleema Khan expressed urgency over her brother’s medical care in her post, saying the family was “now awaiting his urgent medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad under the supervision of his personal doctors, where specialist doctors must make every possible effort to restore his eyesight.” “The intentional delay in providing him timely treatment has already caused damage to his eyesight. We cannot and will not tolerate any further delay, and immediate specialist care is essential to prevent any permanent loss of vision.”
Khan’s sons have repeatedly stated over the past year that they have been unable to meet their father since his arrest. Kasim Khan, in a post on X on Thursday, described the vision loss as “a direct consequence of solitary confinement and medical neglect.” “We have been informed that my father, Imran Khan, has lost most of the vision in his right eye, with reports indicating that only 15pc eyesight remains,” he wrote. “This is the direct consequence of 922 days of solitary confinement, medical neglect (denied blood tests), and the deliberate denial of proper treatment in jail.”
He stressed that the “responsibility lies squarely with the regime in power, the army chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” adding that Khan’s “physical deterioration is happening under their orders, their watch and their responsibility.” Kasim also claimed that the justice system had been “manipulated and warped” to keep his father in solitary confinement, and that he and his brother were “still being denied a visa to see our father as his health deteriorates.”
Khan, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been incarcerated since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. He maintains that the dozens of cases against him are politically motivated to sideline him from politics. The latest health concerns add to the legal and political pressures facing the former cricket captain turned politician, who led Pakistan from 2018 to 2022 before being ousted in a no-confidence vote. Khan’s supporters have accused authorities of mistreatment during his detention, allegations that officials have denied.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
