New Delhi: The Pakistani establishment refuses to treat former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan with basic dignity, and Pakistanis are livid over medical neglect, prolonged solitary confinement, and the denial of family and legal access.
In a hush-hush move, Khan, the jailed PTI leader, was taken to a hospital in Islamabad late Tuesday night for an eye check-up and medical examination before being returned to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi within a few hours. No one apparently knew about it.
The latest hospital visit has now prompted renewed criticism from Khan’s supporters, who have questioned the circumstances under which he was taken for treatment and whether his family and personal doctors were informed.
Khan’s son, Sulaiman Khan, said that Pakistani media reports on 8 November had indicated that a doctor had been allowed to visit his father in Adiala jail. He said there had been no official confirmation of the visit and argued that the prison lacked the equipment needed to conduct the medical tests his father required.
“My father has rapidly developed hypertension despite never having had high blood pressure before, and no family history of it. This raises the concern that external agents may have been used. Without assessment by independent, unbiased doctors, that cannot be ruled out. I demand, also on behalf of the rest of our family, that he should immediately receive proper medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital in the presence of his own doctors, as ordered by Pakistan’s Supreme Court in August,” he posted on X.
“We would hold Asim Munir responsible for any sudden adverse health event suffered by my father in jail,” he added.
A Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) official told Reuters that Khan underwent a medical examination, including an assessment of his eyes, before doctors administered an intravitreal anti-VEGF injection, a treatment commonly used for certain retinal conditions.
The hospital visit comes amid mounting concerns from Khan’s family, lawyers and party colleagues over his health in prison. His legal team has previously said that the former prime minister’s eyesight has deteriorated significantly, with substantial vision loss in his right eye.
It is the first known instance since August of Khan being taken to a hospital for treatment and subsequently returned to prison. His previous hospital visit was cut short amid a dispute over where he should receive medical care.
Concerns over medical access
Pakistanis are not convinced of the 1992 Cricket World Cup-winning ‘kaaptan’s’ well-being.
PTI member Faiza Murad accused the authorities of withholding information about Khan’s medical condition from his family and alleged that the government was disregarding court directions requiring his transfer to Shifa International Hospital.
“How long will this Hybrid Regime continue to play with Imran Khan’s health and life?” she wrote on X, using a term commonly employed by Khan’s supporters to describe Pakistan’s military-backed political arrangement.
The PTI has also alleged that authorities restricted access to both Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for extended periods before permitting legal counsel to meet them.
The latest episode follows a prolonged dispute over access to medical treatment for Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.
In August, Pakistan’s Supreme Court directed jail authorities to transfer him to Shifa International Hospital within two days. A three-member bench ordered that he remain in hospital until the next hearing, scheduled for 16 September.
The court also reiterated that imprisonment did not deprive inmates of their right to humane treatment and necessary medical care.
However, Khan was taken to hospital under heavy security before being returned to Adiala jail. Visuals circulating on social media showed him stepping out of an ambulance surrounded by security personnel. It was the first time in nearly three years that images of the former prime minister had emerged from such a hospital visit.
There was initially confusion over the hospital where he had been examined. Government officials first said he had been taken to Shifa International Hospital, but Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later clarified that the examination had taken place at PIMS, a government-run facility.
Tarar said doctors had found Khan medically fit. His sister, Uzma Khan, was present during that visit, and he was returned to Adiala at around 5 am.
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‘New normal in Pakistan’
According to Dawn, officials attributed the change of hospital to security concerns after Khan’s supporters gathered outside Shifa.
The former cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison for more than three years and remains at the centre of Pakistan’s political confrontation between his PTI and the governing establishment.
Khan lost power in April 2022 after a parliamentary no-confidence vote and subsequently faced multiple corruption cases. He denies wrongdoing and maintains that the charges against him are politically motivated, an allegation the government rejects.
All but one of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending, according to the available reports. He is also serving a 14-year sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Meanwhile, social media platform X became a focal point of public anger in Pakistan following the late-night transfer of Khan to PIMS.
“New normal… secretly take Imran to hospital, say everything is OK,” former Dawn editor Cyril Almeida posted on X.
Another user termed the current ruling government a “criminal authority.”
“Criminal (government) playing with the life of Khan,” the user posted.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)