PTI slams govt for ‘crime’ against Imran after eye health revelations

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership on Thursday accused the state of “committing a crime” against incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan after the Supreme Court was informed that only 15% of his vision remains in his right eye.

The information was conveyed to the apex court by PTI counsel Advocate Salman Safdar, who quoted the former premier as saying that he had been left with only 15pc vision in his right eye following medical complications.

Read: Imran Khan’s right eye at 15% vision, SC report details jail conditions

Speaking to media outside the SC after a hearing, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja said it was impossible to keep ahold of his emotions after reading the report and said the situation had gone far beyond the law.

“A crime has been committed against Imran Khan and the state has done it and the face of this crime is Abdul Ghafoor Anjum. We will not forget this name,” Raja said, adding that Imran had issued “special instructions” to initiate legal proceedings against the former Adiala jail superintendent.

Raja claimed that pain in Imran’s eye began in November and that by December he had completely lost vision in his right eye. He alleged that despite repeated complaints, the former premier was only given eye drops and was not examined by a qualified specialist until late January.

According to Raja, a doctor from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) examined Imran at Adiala jail on January 26 and advised immediate hospital treatment. He was subsequently administered treatment, including an injection, at PIMS in Islamabad. Raja said the term used in the report was “occlusion of the retina”, adding that Imran had regained only 10-15% vision and could detect light but had not fully recovered.

He further alleged that the Islamabad High Court had not fixed Imran’s cases for hearing for nearly a year and demanded that his legal matters be taken up without delay.

In a separate statement, the PTI expressed “profound concern and deep anguish” over the report, calling the alleged denial of access to personal physicians a “grave and inexcusable act of negligence”.

The party demanded immediate and unrestricted access to trusted doctors, specialised treatment at a reputable hospital, restoration of family visitation rights and unhindered access to legal counsel.

It warned that any further negligence could provoke public reaction and reserved the right to initiate legal proceedings against jail authorities and other officials.

Govt to implement court orders on PTI founder’s medical treatment, Senate told

Meanwhile, government representatives said in the Senate that it would fully implement court orders regarding Imran’s medical treatment.

Responding to a query raised by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allamab Raja Nasir Abbas, Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said politicising an individual’s health was inappropriate and should be avoided.

He noted that the matter was already before the Supreme Court.

Sanaullah told the House that the report did not indicate denial of medical treatment, though it noted the PTI founder’s dissatisfaction and request for further examination by specialists of his choice.

He said jail records confirmed that medical examinations were conducted whenever complaints were raised and that doctors had acted according to established procedures, including referrals, where necessary.

According to Sanaullah, the Supreme Court reviewed both the prison authorities’ report and the legal counsel’s submission and observed no major discrepancies.

He assured the Senate that the government would strictly follow court directives to ensure appropriate medical care, urging lawmakers to avoid drawing political conclusions from a matter still under judicial consideration.

The PM’s adviser added that safeguarding an individual’s health remained both a legal and humanitarian responsibility.

Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the PTI’s narrative about Imran’s “mistreatment and shabby conditions in prison has fallen flat on its face”.

He said the report had cleared “all ambiguity”, adding that all facilities were available to Imran with “more privileges more than any other prisoner”.