Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry speaking to the media outside Parliament PHOTO: PTV/File
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan would be shifted to a hospital on February 25 for medical treatment, clarifying that the hospitalization would be limited only to administering his second injection to treat his eye.
Speaking to media in Islamabad on Friday, Chaudhry said Imran, 73, received his first injection on January 25, and two more injections were still pending.
“As for his eye, on January 25 he received one injection, two more are yet to be administered. For this, the proposed date for the injection is February 25, and a month later he will receive the third injection at the best available facility in Pindi and Islamabad,” he said.
When asked if the former prime minister would be shifted to the hospital for the injections, Chaudhry replied in the affirmative, adding that the injections could only be administered in a hospital equipped with tertiary care facilities. He stressed that Imran’s hospitalization would be limited to this purpose.
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The former prime minister has been incarcerated since August 2023 following convictions that he and the PTI have called politically motivated. Since his ouster by a vote of no confidence in 2022, he has faced numerous legal cases, including those related to state gifts and an alleged illegal marriage. Some convictions have been suspended or overturned, and appeals are underway. The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing.
Last month, reports emerged that the PTI founder had developed an infection in his right eye, prompting the government to transfer him from Adiala Prison to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for evaluation. Initially denied by authorities, the treatment was later confirmed, with a report from PIMS Hospital saying the former prime minister had reported reduced vision in his right eye. After extensive evaluation, a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion was made and follow-up inpatient treatment was recommended.
The PTI rejected the official reports, demanding a meeting with its leader and submitting a memorandum to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, seeking immediate access to Imran’s family and personal doctors.
Amid growing concerns over Imran’s eyesight deteriorating in detention, the Supreme Court took up the matter following a report submitted by the former prime minister’s lawyer Salman Safdar. Acting as amicus curiae, Safdar reported that Imran had lost 85% of the vision in his right eye and expressed his dissatisfaction with the medical facilities available at Adiala Prison. The report notes that the former prime minister had requested urgent access to specialist doctors.
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The Supreme Court ordered that Imran have access to an ophthalmologist and be allowed to communicate with his sons in the UK. The government maintained that there was no negligence in the examination and treatment of Imran’s eye condition and asserted that medical care would be provided in accordance with official orders.
Following these developments, a medical commission examined the former prime minister and noted an improvement in his eyesight, recommending that he not be transferred to hospital. The PTI, however, rejected the commission’s findings and reiterated its demands for immediate treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa Hospital, under the supervision of the former prime minister’s personal doctors.
