The Pakistan Tekreek-e-Insaaf has sought urgent family access for its jailed leader amid buzz about a severe eye ailment. The party contended on Wednesday that Imran Khan was being denied proper access to medical treatment despite suffering from a central retinal vein occlusion. Party supporters and family members have led extensive protests over the last few months as the former Prime Minister of Pakistan remained largely inaccessible within Adiala Jail.
Imran Khan denied medical treatment?
According to a Dawn report, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan claimed on Wednesday that Imran Khan was taken to a hospital over the weekend and then returned to jail. The publication quoted a senior doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences to explain that the PTI chief was brought to the hospital under strict security late on Saturday night. He reportedly underwent a procedure that took considerable time. There has been no official confirmation and another doctor denied the claim and told Dawn that PTI might politicise the matter.
“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 Ali Khan said.
He also cited medical experts who reportedly checked Khan in jail to add that this was “an extremely sensitive and serious medical condition”. Gohar warned that Khan was already having blurred vision because of the issue — noting that a lack of treatment “carries a high risk of permanent damage to his eyesight”. He alleged that prison authorities had “recklessly” prohibited a personal doctor from examining the fomer PM for months.
Imran Khan health rumours
Debate has raged over the health of Imran Khan as he remains within Adiala jail — primarily in solitary confinement. Lawyers, family members and supporters have led vehement protests over the past few months after being denied visitation. The protests have been met with teargas and water cannons in many instances.
Despite a court order permitting Khan to be visited by family and lawyers twice a week, he had last met his counsel about 100 days ago. A legal petition submitted by party leaders to gain access was also rejected this week.
His sister Uzma Khanum had managed to secure a brief meeting with Khan in early December after weeks of protest and petitioning. She lashed out at Field Marshal Asim Munir in no uncertain terms after the meeting — claiming that the former PM was being “subjected to mental torture”.
“My sister visited him. She said health-wise he is absolutely fine. Because he exercises every day and he reads books (which he hasn’t been allowed to receive for the past seven weeks). But she said he was very angry. He said: ‘I’m being kept in solitary confinement’. And this is considered torture whether it’s international or Pakistani law. You do not put people in solitary confinement for more than 4 days. And he has been in solitary confinement for the past 7 weeks,” Aleema Khanum had told Sky News at the beginning of December.
Little has changed in the ensuing weeks — with Gohar Ali Khan noting on Wednesday that the party had significant concerns about Khan’s health and condition in prison.