- The authorities agree to transfer Imran to Shifa International Hospital: Akram.
- A family member will be allowed to meet Imran, the opposition said.
- Imran spoke to his sons for about “20 minutes,” Aleema confirms.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday assured that medical examination and treatment of ailing Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan would be carried out at a “specialized medical facility by ophthalmologists”.
Using his handle X, the Information Minister said a detailed report on the matter would also be submitted to the Supreme Court.
“Conjecture, speculation and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and advancing special interests can be avoided,” he added.
The development came as the sit-in staged by lawmakers of Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP) – an alliance of opposition parties – entered its second day today.
Opposition parties staged a sit-in to demand that the jailed former prime minister be shifted to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital after it emerged that Imran’s right eye was left with only 15% vision “due to delay in treatment”.
Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, after his ouster from power by the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.
The protest demonstrations are taking place at Parliament, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House and Parliament boxes, with Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Leader of Opposition in Senate Allam Raja Nasir Abbas, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and former CM Ali Amin Gandapur among the protesting politicians as well as other opposition lawmakers.
In a video statement from Parliament, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja said he had been informed that authorities had agreed to shift the ailing former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital.
“We were also told that a family member of the PTI founder would be allowed to meet him,” he added.
Raja said proper medical treatment is the right of the PTI founder and should not be delayed.
The PTI leader said that a phone call was arranged between the PTI founder and his sons.
Meanwhile, Aleema Khanum, Imran’s sister, also confirmed that the PTI founder spoke to her sons for “around 20 minutes”.
Imran was extremely happy to hear the voices of his sons – Sulaiman and Kasim Khan – after so long, she said, quoting her sons.
Taking her handle »
She said the “intentional delay” in providing timely treatment had already caused damage to her eyesight.
“We cannot and will not tolerate any further delays, and immediate specialist care is essential to avoid any permanent loss of vision,” Aleema added.
Imran diagnosed with CRVO
The latest tensions between the government and the PTI follow confirmation last month that Imran was undergoing a medical procedure for his eye at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
The former prime minister was diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a disorder that commonly affects older adults and is linked to underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
Pims executive director Dr Rana Imran Sikandar later confirmed that a team of senior doctors assessed Imran’s condition before sending him back.
Sharing details of the treatment, Dr Sikandar said Imran underwent a specialized medical procedure after doctors diagnosed a disease affecting the vision in his right eye.
Dr Sikandar said the procedure was carried out in a sterile operating room under close supervision and was completed successfully in about 20 minutes.
