Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, founding president and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
ISLAMABAD:
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was incarcerated on February 1, underwent treatment for right central retinal vein occlusion at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, according to a report released on Friday.
PIMS Executive Director Prof. Rana Imran Sikandar submitted the report to the Superintendent of Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office to convey to the prison official “the update on the health condition of Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi”.
According to the document, released almost a week after reports emerged about the PTI founder’s alleged operation, the former prime minister reported reduced vision in his right eye.
“A senior and qualified ophthalmologist from PIMS, Islamabad, conducted a comprehensive vision assessment at Adiala Prison, including slit lamp examination, fundoscopy, intraocular pressure measurements, essential laboratory tests and OCT (optical coherence tomography) of the retina.
“Based on his assessment, a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion was made and follow-up inpatient treatment was recommended.”
The report said that the jailed PTI founder was brought to PIMS on Saturday night for the advised procedure. At the hospital, the treatment plan – attention to the administration of an intravitreal injection of anti VEGF – was fully explained to the patient and informed consent was obtained from the patient before the procedure.
He said the procedure was carried out in the operating room under standard sterile protocols and monitoring. The operation was completed without any problems in approximately 20 minutes.
During treatment, the patient remained stable and was discharged with routine post-operative care instructions, follow-up counseling and documentation,” the statement added.
Sources said the Adiala jail authorities had provided the report to the former prime minister’s family.
Meanwhile, in a memorandum submitted to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Friday by a group of PTI lawmakers led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Imran Khan was subjected to rushed and secret medical procedures at PIMS.
This information was denied by government ministers for five days, then conceded while Imran Khan’s family was kept in complete ignorance of the operation in violation of prison rules.
On February 4, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the Senate that Imran Khan was taken to PIMS for a procedure at his own request, assuring the House that he had no health problems after the treatment.
The note said last Tuesday that the family of Bushra Bibi, Imran’s imprisoned wife, had been allowed to meet her for the first time since November 4, 2025.
“Bushra Bibi revealed to her family members that Mr. Imran Khan had been complaining of eye pain for almost two weeks but had not been treated.
“A doctor at PIMS examined him only when the pain had become very severe. This doctor insisted on hospitalization of Mr. Imran Khan and conducting necessary medical procedures. This resulted in a rushed procedure at PIMS,” it said.
According to the memo, Imran Khan’s rights as a prisoner and a human being were constantly violated during his incarceration which began on August 5, 2023.
“He was denied visits from his family, lawyers and friends for extended periods of time, at the whim and will of the powers that be.
“This forced isolation constitutes torture under all canons of international law and our own jurisprudence. The orders of the superior courts, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in particular, have been ignored with impunity.”
He said the IHC, despite repeated requests for contempt of court proceedings, has refused to act to enforce its own orders and the law.
The appeal filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the IHC’s inaction has been returned with instructions to file it in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). This was done months ago but no hearing has been set.
“Several other petitions filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the denial of fundamental rights of Mr. Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who also remain incarcerated at Adiala Central Prison, Rawalpindi, have also been transferred to the FCC. No hearing has been granted in these petitions.
Last Friday, CM Sohail Afridi and over a hundred parliamentarians approached the Supreme Court building to express their grievances and concerns over the brutality meted out to Imran.
“They were arrested at the gates of the Supreme Court. Mr. Salman Akram Raja, an advocate of the Supreme Court, was heard by the honorable Chief Justice.
“The concerns of the family of Mr. Imran Khan and the people of Pakistan have been placed before the honorable Chief Justice. Immediate access to Mr. Imran Khan by the family and his personal doctors has been requested.
“After a conversation with the Attorney General of Pakistan, the honorable Chief Justice assured that the medical reports of Mr. Imran Khan would be immediately made available to the family,” the statement added.
