Islamabad — Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, the 73-year-old leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was examined by a team of doctors inside Adiala Jail on Sunday following concerns over his deteriorating eyesight, but his political party rejected the medical check-up, calling it flawed and unacceptable.
A panel of specialist doctors visited the high-security prison in Rawalpindi at the direction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which had earlier ordered a medical evaluation after Khan’s legal team reported that he had lost a significant portion of vision in his right eye. The examination reportedly lasted about an hour, during which doctors performed eye tests, collected blood samples and measured other vital signs before departing the facility.
However, PTI leaders were quick to criticize the process, describing it as “malicious” and insisting that meaningful medical assessment cannot take place without the presence of Khan’s family members and his own personal physicians In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the party reiterated that the constitutional, moral and legal rights to make healthcare decisions for Khan belong to his immediate family, not government-appointed doctors inside a prison.
The dispute over Khan’s treatment has become a flashpoint in Pakistan’s tense political environment. Supporters of PTI and lawmakers from allied parties have been staging a sit-in protest in Islamabad near the Parliament House, demanding that Khan be transferred to a hospital where specialists of his family’s choosing can provide care.
Khan has been in custody since August 2023 after being convicted in a high-profile graft case — a conviction that he and his supporters argue is politically motivated. Reports from earlier this week indicated that he has lost roughly 85 % of the vision in his right eye, according to statements made to the Supreme Court by his attorney.
Government officials had hinted before the jail examination that Khan might be moved to a hospital, but as of Sunday evening, no such transfer had taken place. Meanwhile, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has publicly stated that Khan will receive specialized treatment for his eye condition, urging the public to avoid speculation and asserting that necessary steps are being taken.
The medical check-up in jail and the political standoff over Khan’s care reflect broader tensions between the government and one of Pakistan’s most influential political figures. As the controversy continues, both sides are likely to remain locked in a battle over not just Khan’s health, but also the larger political narrative surrounding his imprisonment
