Imran Khan to receive medical treatment at preferred facility, says Tariq Fazal Chaudhry

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday said the government would not tolerate any negligence in the eye examination and medical treatment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, adding that they would take place irrespective of where the orders were given.

PTI lawyer Salman Safdar on Thursday submitted a Supreme Court-mandated report after meeting the former prime minister in Adiala jail earlier this week. Imran informed Safdar that his right eye was now functioning at only 15 per cent capacity after undergoing a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) last month.

Accordingly, the two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, ordered that Imran be given access to his personal doctors in Adiala jail and be allowed to have telephone contact with his sons. The revelations about Imran’s eye sparked an outcry from the ranks of the opposition and other politicians.

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Addressing the issue today in a speech before Parliament, Chaudhry said: “Imran’s eye will be examined wherever ordered. If he says for Al-Shifa Eye Trust, then that is where the eye will be examined and if the CJP recommends another doctor, then they will be approached. No negligence will be allowed in this area. We want this issue to be submitted to the entire nation, this issue is a sensitive issue.

He said the issue should not be politicized and proper medical care was provided in accordance with medical advice.

Chaudhry said Imran had complained of an eye problem earlier and any negligence, if proven, would make him liable.

The minister added that Uzma Khanum told the media after a meeting with Imran in October that his health was good and again expressed satisfaction with his condition on December 2. He said Imran did not even mention any eye problem until mid-January.

“Politicizing an eye disease is in itself a criminal act,” he noted.

The minister said that on January 16, Imran formally complained of eye discomfort, after which the prison authorities shifted him to PIMS as per medical requirements so that his eye could be treated at a hospital. He added that an experienced ophthalmologist had prepared a medical report and the medical assessment would be carried out again.

“CJP Yahya Afridi is handling the matter himself,” added the minister.

Chaudhry further said that the issue was also discussed with Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

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Aleema Khanum denounces a “clear conspiracy” by the government

In response to his press conference, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum sharply criticized it in an article on X, calling it “a clear conspiracy by the government.”

She added, “We do not want Imran Khan to be treated in Al Shifa Rawalpindi. We have repeatedly and unequivocally stated that Imran Khan should be treated at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, the facility where the identified specialists are based. The decision was made by his personal doctors, and any examination or treatment must take place there, under the direct supervision of his personal medical team and Dr. Uzma Khan.

“There are serious fears that he could be forcibly transferred in the middle of the night to Al Shifa Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, without informing his family or personal doctors. Subsequently, it could be falsely claimed that Imran Khan himself requested to be taken there. The reality is that he may not even know this hospital exists.

She earlier wondered why the written order from the Supreme Court had still not been received.

“It is 1 p.m. on Friday and we still have not received the written order from the Supreme Court,” she said. She said formal written instructions were needed to ensure Imran was examined by specialists and treated under the supervision of his own doctors at Shifa International Hospital.

CJP Afridi had given a deadline of two days to implement the order; However, Aleema said the directive could not be implemented without a written order. “Given the urgency and the risk to his eyesight, why did the CJP delay in issuing the written orders? she added.

She said the order had still not been provided as of a message on X at 3:40 p.m.