Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. Photo: Reuters/file
ISLAMABAD:
The medical committee constituted by the federal government has reported improvement in the vision in the right eye of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The medical committee, comprising two senior ophthalmologists, Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif, examined Imran Khan at Adiala jail on Sunday.
According to their two-page report, unaided vision in Imran’s right eye was recorded at 6/24 (partial), while the left eye measured 6/9. With glasses, his vision improved to 6/9 (partial) in the right eye and 6/6 in the left.
The report indicated that the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and the cornea was clear. He noted a slight vitreous hemorrhage at the edge of the right eye and a moderate retinal hemorrhage in all four quadrants.
Swelling of the macula in the right eye subsided, with macular thickness reduced from 550 to 350 microns.
The board described current medications and treatment and recommended OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completing anti-VEGF therapy. The committee made no recommendation for Imran’s transfer to a hospital.
Following the medical evaluation, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Leader of Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were briefed about Imran’s condition during a session at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on February 15.
His personal doctors, Dr Asim Yousuf and Dr Khurram Mirza, were also informed over the phone and reportedly expressed satisfaction with the ongoing treatment.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Imran had normal vision of 6/6 in one eye, while the other eye achieved around 70% vision with glasses.
Speaking at an event of lawyers in Ferozewala, he said the specialized medical team expressed satisfaction with the treatment provided and informed opposition leaders and Imran’s personal doctors. He added that there was no reason to worry.
Similarly, Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan shared the contents of the medical reports with Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Express PK Press Club on the fourth day of the opposition sit-in outside Parliament, PTI president’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan said the protests would continue until their demands were met.
Gohar added that Imran’s health should not be treated as a political issue. “He should be provided with the best medical facilities. This concerns all Pakistanis,” he said. The PTI chairman demanded that Imran be treated at a hospital suggested by his family and personal doctor.
“His treatment needs to be under their supervision so that all the facts can be established. How did this clot happen? How did his eye deteriorate so quickly in three months?” Gohar questioned. He said the party was informed that doctors had visited Imran and a report could have been filed.
“This report will be submitted to the Supreme Court. Once we review it, we will examine its contents,” he said, adding that the party wanted Imran’s neurologist to conduct a personal examination before the family could be satisfied.
However, a section of the PTI is said to be unhappy with the visit of Barrister Gohar and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for visiting PIMS to receive a briefing on Imran Khan’s health. They believe that the party leadership should have informed the workers.
Former Additional Attorney General Tariq Mahmood Khokhar said the medical report confirms that Imran Khan suffered central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO).
“CRAO is an eye attack: a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the retina. Major medical institutions in the United States, including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins, say that CRAO is not an isolated ophthalmic disorder but a vascular emergency.
“CRAO is associated with a significantly increased risk of clots entering vital organs. A clot in the brain can cause a stroke; a clot in the pulmonary circulation can lead to pulmonary embolism; and a clot in the coronary arteries can cause myocardial infarction,” he said.
Khokhar maintained that these were life-threatening emergencies requiring immediate intervention. “Make no mistake: willingly or not, the duly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan has been and continues to be subjected to life-threatening conditions,” he added.
He further said that Imran Khan’s medical condition required urgent systemic assessment and treatment in an appropriate hospital setting.
“The reported onset of symptoms in October 2025 is clinically significant. Prison authorities have demonstrated criminal recklessness. They are known to act with impunity. An unelected government that exists simply through the threat or use of force against its citizens holds no one accountable.
“He chooses to see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing. The judiciary acquiesces to the executive and plays the unconscious. The stage is set for a most calamitous national tragedy,” he said.
Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said recent medical reports indicate that Imran Khan was suffering from severe vision loss in his right eye due to retinal occlusion. However, without the direct involvement of his family and personal doctors, he said, the results remain questionable in the public eye.
He further said that the exclusion of independent doctors fuels suspicions that the government’s refusal to transfer Imran to a hospital may be politically motivated rather than medically justified, thereby undermining public confidence in official reports.
Fawad also said that following the 26th constitutional amendment, the judiciary has lost its status and approaching the Supreme Court in such cases has become more of a formality.
PTI lawyer Taimur Malik said there remained a clear trust deficit regarding Imran Khan’s eye treatment and general health.
“The government must provide access to one’s personal doctors and family to ensure credibility and transparency in the treatment process. The Supreme Court can play an important role in directing the government to provide such access and take any other necessary steps recommended by a neutral medical committee,” he added.
