Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with PTI leaders and KP Assembly members outside Adiala jail on January 29, 2026. SCREENSHOT
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday announced that he, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja and other party members would spend the night at Adiala Jail Road after being denied a meeting with the party’s founding president and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Afridi’s visit came after the PTI expressed concerns over Imran’s health.
“Our leader was secretly transferred from prison to a hospital on Saturday evening. The question is why the situation reached a point where hospitalization became necessary, why his illness was hidden and why his family was not informed. If his condition was so serious, why was he not informed?” asked the KP Chief Minister while addressing the media.
“Why wasn’t his personal doctor kept incommunicado? Why did he hide this for so many days? The life of [PTI] the founder was put in danger. The nation will not tolerate any compromise on its life. »
Earlier in the day, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Imran underwent a medical procedure for an eye disease at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Saturday evening.
This was the first time Imran had been out of Adiala jail since his arrest in August 2023 after being convicted in several cases.
On Thursday, the KP chief minister, along with other provincial cabinet members, reached Adiala Road, but police did not allow them to pass through the factory check post.
Afridi demanded that the PTI founder be allowed to meet his family, party members and lawyers to “prevent further deterioration of the situation”.
“We have no trust in these people. The founder was unjustly imprisoned and an assassination attempt has already been made. His family has not been informed [about the medical procedure]and he was treated with utter contempt. Neither the founder nor his family trust the government. Covering up the founder’s ill health amounts to ‘medical terrorism’,” the KP chief minister said.
Afridi stressed that every individual has the right to be treated by their personal doctor.
Without naming PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, the KP chief minister sarcastically said that “the fugitive who fled to London had falsely claimed a drop in his platelets, and an outcry was raised.” [for him]”.
Expressing “serious concerns” over Imran’s health, Afridi said the media should raise its voice over the PTI founder’s health, noting that the nation was “rightly angry” over his health problems.
Launching a diatribe against Nawaz once again, the KP chief minister said, “just as voices were raised in favor of a ‘convicted thief’, the same attention should be given to the [PTI] founder”.
Speaking on the occasion, Raja said that under the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, it was the right of PTI leaders and supporters to meet Imran.
According to the IHC order, he said, a list of people eligible to meet him had been submitted to the prison administration, but they were still not allowed access.
Afridi held a meeting near the factory checkpoint, at a nearby kiosk, after prison visiting hours ended. He said they would continue their protest on Adiala Road overnight until Imran was allowed to meet his family, personal doctors and lawyers.
He also said that all members of the provincial assembly had been invited to join in order to strengthen their demand.
Tarar on Imran’s health
After days of speculation, the federal government confirmed on Thursday that incarcerated PTI leader Imran Khan was taken to Islamabad’s main hospital for eye treatment last weekend, triggering a sharp backlash from his party, which accused authorities of keeping them in the dark about their leader’s health.
Reports were circulating that the former prime minister had been taken to PIMS on Saturday evening, but authorities initially refused to confirm the development.
On Thursday, Tarar broke his silence, confirming that Imran had undergone a medical procedure at PIMS Islamabad on the night of January 24.
Interestingly, state channel PTV picked up Tarar’s statement by mentioning the PTI chief’s name.
Tarar, according to state media, said the procedure lasted about 20 minutes following the recommendations of ophthalmologists who examined Khan in Adiala prison.
“Ophthalmologists assessed him at Adiala and indicated that a minor procedure at PIMS was required. He was taken there on Saturday evening for further examination and treatment with his written consent,” the minister said.
According to Tarar, Imran’s vital signs remained stable throughout the procedure and he was later returned safely to Adiala Prison as instructed by doctors. “He is in perfect health. All prisoners have access to medical care in accordance with regulations, and Imran Khan is no exception,” the minister added.
Before the government’s confirmation, the PTI had sought clarification. PTI Chairman Barr Gohar, in a press conference on Wednesday, raised concerns over reports that Imran Khan was suffering from an eye disease that could cause permanent damage and demanded a meeting between the former prime minister and his family.
Following Tarar’s confirmation, the PTI strongly condemned the federal government, the Punjab government and the Adiala Prison administration for “secretly” transferring Imran to PIMS, deliberately keeping his family members, lawyers and party leaders in the dark and denying access to his personal doctors.
Imran’s son’s tweet
Imran Khan’s son Qasim Khan also posted on X, expressing serious concern over his father’s health:
“My father has now spent more than 900 days in an extermination cell, without family visits and without access to his personal doctors. Credible reports confirm that he was diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion, a dangerous blockage that can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated urgently. Yet the authorities continue to block his treatment and deny him the doctors he trusts. I am even refused the right to speak to him. It’s too late. The world must realize that in Pakistan today, democracy is hollow and basic human rights are being violated. »
Political leaders condemn ‘secret transfer’
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the new leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, criticized the transfer, saying it amounted to criminal negligence and a blatant violation of the Constitution. He added that the state is fully responsible for the life and health of a prisoner and any harm will fall on those who hold them.
Leader of Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called keeping Imran Khan away from his family and personal doctors and secretly transferring him to hospital “inhumane” and a serious violation of human rights. He warned that any delay, ambiguity or denial of medical access in Khan’s case would have serious consequences and cannot be tolerated.
