Court orders doctors’ access and calls to wires; emphasizes equal care for all prisoners
Imran Khan. PHOTO: PIXABAY
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, incarcerated at Adiala Jail, has informed authorities that his right eye is now functioning at only 15 per cent capacity after undergoing a medical procedure at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad earlier this month.
This was revealed through a report prepared by advocate Salman Safdar on the directions of the Supreme Court. Safdar on Tuesday submitted the report to a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan. As a result, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that Imran Khan have access to his personal doctors in Adiala prison and allow telephone contact with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman.
The PTI founder is currently in state custody, the chief justice said, adding that all prisoners, including Khan, should be provided with the same medical facilities.
“We will absolutely not say that the PTI founder should be given preferential facilities over other prisoners,” the chief justice said. “Everyone should be treated equally,” added CJP Afridi.
Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan said they were ready to provide access to expert ophthalmologists.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Salman Safdar to visit the Adiala jail and submit a detailed report on the living conditions and facilities available to Khan, who has been detained there for the past two years and four months. A copy of the report, available with The Express PK Press Clubprovides, for the first time in his own words, an account of Khan’s life in detention.
The meeting between Safdar, designated friend of the court, and Khan lasted two hours. According to the report, Khan, referred to as the “petitioner”, said he had been “subjected to solitary confinement for approximately two years and four months” since his transfer from Attock District Prison in October 2023.
Read: SC orders access to personal doctors, phone calls for Imran Khan in Adiala jail
During the meeting, Khan repeatedly highlighted the “rapid and substantial loss of vision over the previous three months while living and being detained in the care and custody of Adiala Prison Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum.” He told Safdar that his concerns about his eyes “were not taken seriously or addressed by prison authorities”.
Khan said that until October 2025, his vision was “6×6”, but then it started to blur. His right eye gradually deteriorated, reducing his overall vision. This led to an examination by ophthalmologist Dr Muhammad Arif at PIMS Hospital, where he was told he had a blood clot. The report notes that Khan appeared visibly concerned about the deterioration of his right eye. “Throughout the meeting, the petitioner’s eyes were watery and he repeatedly used a tissue to wipe them, reflecting physical discomfort,” the text adds.
The report also details other health concerns. Khan said he had not had a dental check-up in two years and, despite being 73 years old, regular blood tests had not been carried out. He said his personal doctors, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yusuf, had previously been granted access, which was later revoked. For almost three months, Khan said the only treatment he received was eye drops, “which resulted in no improvement and was followed by major vision impairment in his right eye.” He confirmed that his right eye now only functions at 15% capacity.
Khan described his daily routine, saying he eats breakfast at 9:45 a.m. and spends an hour reading the Quran. For physical exercise, he has access to limited equipment, including an exercise machine and nine-kilogram weights. He stays in his cell, which contains a chair, a table, a bed and a hanger, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.
His meals include coffee, porridge and dates for breakfast, and he is allowed to choose his weekly menu, which he pays for personally. This includes two days of chicken, two days of meat and two days of pulses or chaat/sandwiches. Nestlé bottled water is provided. “In the evening, I don’t eat a full meal. I eat fruits, drink milk and make appointments,” Khan said.
Learn more: The ice of the PTI and the government could melt behind closed doors
The report says the cell has adequate ventilation and lighting, but knives, forks and utensils are not allowed. A prison attendant helps with laundry and general cleaning, including toilets. Khan reportedly expressed satisfaction with these arrangements, saying: “These are essential arrangements and I am satisfied with them. » During the colder months it has access to a small heater and fan, and hot water is available at all times.
Khan told Safdar that summer is “particularly difficult” due to extreme heat and humidity, as well as the presence of mosquitoes and insects. He uses mosquito repellent and has a cooler room to deal with the heat. Khan said he suffered from food poisoning two or three times over the summer. Around ten surveillance cameras are installed near his cell, including one outside the shower area, but none inside the room. “I have no objection to the cameras because they are for my protection,” he said.
The report also highlights restrictions on family and legal access. Khan said he has not met with his lawyers in the past five months and visits from his family have been limited. Since a change in prison director, he is entitled to a 30-minute visit with his wife every week, on Tuesdays. In 2025, he only spoke on the phone with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, twice. He also has access to a 30-by-12-foot green space near his cell for sun exposure, a 32-inch television (currently non-functional), and about a hundred books.
Safdar, who visited the prison as per court orders, told reporters on Tuesday that the report comprises seven pages and 22 paragraphs and has been submitted to the Supreme Court. “My first responsibility was to submit the report,” he said, adding that he congratulated Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and the Adiala prison administration.
Chief Justice Afridi had ordered that Safdar be treated with respect and given full access to the PTI founder’s cell. “Our friend of the court is expected to have access to the PTI founder at Adiala jail with due respect,” the chief justice said. He added that Safdar’s personal staff officer would help him if he faced any difficulties.
The bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, had ordered Safdar to prepare the report and submit it by Wednesday, ensuring a detailed account of the PTI founder’s living conditions and available facilities.
