Health of PTI founder

2026-02-13 - 22:16

CONTROVERSY is raging over the state of health of founding Chairman of PTI Imran Khan, who is in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for the last two and a half years, after a report presented in the Supreme Court of Pakistan claimed he is left with just 15% vision in his right eye. The seven-page report was submitted to the SC by the Party counsel Salman Safdar regarding PTI founder’s living conditions in the prison prompting the court to issue directions to the government to ensure timely medical excess for Imran Khan. The opposition is up in arms expressing serious concerns over lack of proper medical facilities for the jailed leader of PTI but the government believes the claim is politically motivated. As the SC has given clear instructions about the medical examination of Imran Khan and the government has undertaken to carry them out, the situation will, hopefully, become clear in coming days. The opposition has decided to highlight the issue in different ways including a sit-in before the parliament house and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has alleged that a criminal offence has been committed against IK, demanding immediate medical treatment by doctors trusted by him. On the other hand, Minister of State for Interior Talal Choudhary, in an interview, has asserted that doctors and not lawyers will decide on Imran’s eyesight, adding PTI was playing the sympathy card. Similarly, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Imran was receiving more privileges than any other prisoner at the Adiala jail. He also believed that the narrative being propagated to international media by Aleema Khan and other members of IK’s family regarding mistreatment and shabby conditions in jail has fallen flat on its face as a report detailing the prisoner’s daily routine and diet plan has cleared all ambiguity regarding his treatment. The issue was also agitated in the upper house of the parliament where Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said politicizing an individual’s health was inappropriate and should be avoided. He told the House that the report submitted to the SC 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. According to him, the Supreme Court reviewed both the prison authorities’ report and the legal counsel’s submission and observed no major discrepancies. The Adviser has appropriately acknowledged that safeguarding the health of an individual is both legal and humanitarian responsibility of the government and hopefully it will discharge it in letter and spirit. There is no harm in allowing medical examination of the incarcerated leader by a team of duly qualified ophthalmologists and providing the best available treatment. However, the controversy, which is proceeding on a familiar pattern, comes in the backdrop of rumours of a deal that could see IK out of jail. Both the Government and the PTI have tried to dispel the impression but it gained further currency when the party observed the much-trumpeted black day on February 08 in a lukewarm manner and the party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali strongly conveyed a message the party does not subscribe to the recent remarks of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai regarding Pakistan Army. Some political analysts argue that the founding Chairman of the PTI might be released on bail by the judiciary on medical grounds, which is also a demand the party is highlighting in the wake of the eyesight issue.