Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry speaking to the media outside Parliament PHOTO: PTV/ File
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan would be transferred to a hospital on February 25 for medical treatment, clarifying that the hospitalisation would be limited solely to administering his second injection to treat his eye.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad on Friday, Chaudhry said that Imran, 73, received his first injection on January 25, with two further injections still pending.
“Regarding the matter of his eye, on January 25 he was given one injection, two more are still to be administered. For that, the proposed date for the injection is February 25, and one month later he will be given the third injection at the best available facility in Pindi and Islamabad,” he said.
When asked if the former prime minister would be moved to the hospital for the injections, Chaudhry responded in the affirmative, adding that the injections could only be administered in a hospital equipped with tertiary care facilities. He emphasised that Imran’s hospitalisation would be limited to this purpose.
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The former premier has been incarcerated since August 2023 following convictions he and the PTI described as politically motivated. Since his ouster through a no-confidence vote in 2022, he has faced multiple legal cases, including those related to state gifts and an alleged unlawful marriage. Some convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing.
Last month, reports emerged that PTI founder had developed an infection in his right eye, prompting the government to transfer him from Adiala jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for assessment. Initially denied by authorities, the treatment was later confirmed, with a PIMS hospital report stating that the former prime minister had reported reduced vision in his right eye. After thorough assessment, a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion was made, and hospital-based follow-up treatment was recommended.
PTI rejected the official reports, demanding a meeting with their leader and submitting a memo to the chief justice of Pakistan, seeking immediate access for Imran’s family and personal physicians.
Amid growing concerns over the deterioration of Imran’s eyesight in custody, 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 vision in his right eye and expressed dissatisfaction with the medical facilities available at Adiala Jail. The report noted that the former prime minister had requested urgent access to specialist doctors.
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The Supreme Court ordered that Imran be given access to an eye specialist and allowed to communicate with his sons in the United Kingdom. The government maintained that there had been no negligence in the examination and treatment of Imran’s eye condition and affirmed that medical care would be provided as per official orders.
Following these developments, a medical board examined former prime minister and reported improvement in his eyesight, recommending no hospital transfer. The PTI, however, rejected the board’s findings and reiterated demands for immediate treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa hospital under supervision of the former prime minister’s personal physicians.
