Islamabad/Lahore, Feb 24: Pakistan’s incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan was on Tuesday taken to a hospital at Islamabad for treating an eye ailment, officials said even as his party demanded “transparency, not secrecy” about his health updates.
The 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who has been at the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, since 2023, was last month diagnosed with right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) affecting his vision.
Khan was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) at Islamabad for a second dose of anti-VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor) intravitreal injection, a doctor at the hospital said. He was later shifted back to the Adiala Jail. He had received treatment earlier on January 24.
“Prior to the procedure, he was examined by a board of specialists: a consultant cardiologist who also performed echocardiography and ECG (result: normal) and a consultant physician.
“After obtaining informed consent, and under standard monitoring, precautionary measures and protocols in the operation theatre, he was injected with a second dose of intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF under the guidance of microscopy by consultant ophthalmologist, and a consultant vitreo-retinal surgeon of PIMS and Al-Shifa Eye Hospital,” the doctor said.
The procedure was carried out as a day-care surgery and Khan’s vitals remained stable throughout, the doctor added. He was discharged after the procedure with instructions for care and follow-up.
PIMS is a leading public hospital, while Rawalpindi-based Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital is a prestigious eye hospital run by a private trust.
Earlier, Khan’s family and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had demanded that he be treated at Shifa International Hospital, a private facility in Islamabad.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said it was “necessary to clarify that the government took him (Khan) to PIMS under strict security arrangements while fulfilling all legal and humanitarian requirements.” “According to doctors’ instructions, there was an improvement in the eyesight after the first procedure, keeping in view which expert physicians recommended a second procedure. Today’s process was completed successfully and after clearance from the medical team, he was shifted back to Adiala,” he posted on social media.
Chaudhry reaffirmed that providing medical facilities to prisoners was the responsibility of the state and said all arrangements were made transparently and in accordance with regulations. He added that Khan would be administered a third injection on March 24.
Khan’s PTI demanded “transparency, not secrecy” in his treatment and reiterated its call for him to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for what it described as independent and transparent medical care.
In a social media post, Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum said: “We do not trust the diagnosis or test reports from the government medical facilities.” “From the news, we found out that Imran Khan was taken to PIMS again in the middle of the night, supposedly for his second injection in the eye,” she said, demanding that the family be informed before any medical procedure.
Separately, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-in-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance staged a protest outside the Supreme Court demanding Khan’s release from jail. The alliance had also held a protest on Monday seeking early hearings of cases against him.
The PTI workers and their alliance partners frequently stage demonstrations demanding Khan’s release.
The TTAP, in a statement, too asserted that Khan should be immediately shifted to the Shifa International Hospital, Dawn reported.
“A transparent and credible mechanism must be adopted regarding the medical care of the party leader to restore public confidence,” it added.
The former prime minister was convicted and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in a corruption case, while over a dozen cases against him are at different stages in the courts.
Meanwhile, Noreen Khan, Imran Khan’s sister, was injured after falling into an under-construction sewerage line near the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, on Tuesday.
According to the PTI, Noreen Khan, along with the party workers and leaders, was present at Dahgal Naka, Rawalpindi, about 250 kms from Lahore, to press the federal government to allow any one family member to meet the former prime minister at the jail.
“While crossing an under-construction sewerage line at Rawalpindi, Noreen Khan fell in it and suffered injuries to her hands, feet and nose. Another woman who was helping Noreen to cross the line also fell and sustained injuries,” the party said, adding, the condition of both the women is stable after receiving medical treatment.
The PTI party claimed that Khan’s sisters – Noreen and Aleema – were travelling in a car when their vehicle was stopped by police at a picket near the jail. It prompted the sisters to come out of the car and take an alternative route by crossing the sewerage line when the unfortunate incident took place, the party said.
The sisters and other party workers are protesting as the government is not allowing them to meet Imran Khan. (Agencies)
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