Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered authorities to form a medical team to examine imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who recently told his attorney that he has lost about 85% of vision in his right eye.
The court order said a medical board must examine him before February 16, according to Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two weeks ago that the 73-year-old former premier had undergone a brief medical procedure for an eye condition at an Islamabad hospital and was in good health.
Imran’s family, however, claimed they were not consulted before he was taken to the hospital.
The Islamabad hospital said in a statement on January 30 that he reported reduced vision in his right eye and was examined by a senior prison doctor. Based on the doctor’s assessment, the hospital conducted the procedure with Imran’s consent.
Imran has been in jail since 2023 following his conviction and sentencing in one of the multiple
graft cases.
Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar reported to the Supreme Court earlier this week that his client had normal vision several months ago, but developed persistent blurred vision that was reported to prison officials.
Safdar told his attorney that a specialist diagnosed a damaging blood clot, and he has been left with only 15% vision in his right eye due to delayed treatment.
PTI condemned the poor treatment for Imran, and threatened legal action, demanding that the former Pakistan cricket captain receive immediate and unrestricted access to his personal physicians, specialised eye treatment and transfer to a hospital.
Imran’s family and PTI have issued repeated requests to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to allow family visits and an examination by eye specialists and his personal doctor.
Imran’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters that her brother complained of blurred vision for three months, but prison authorities did not act until his deteriorating eyesight prompted a late January hospital visit.
Imran remains a hugely popular political figure in Pakistan despite his removal from office through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022. He has alleged that his ouster was a result of a US-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. The claims were denied by Washington, Pakistan’s military and his political opponents.