Achakzai urges PM Shehbaz’s ‘personal intervention’ to have trusted doctors conduct medical tests on Imran

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing concern over the health of jailed Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and seeking the Prime Minister’s personal intervention to allow a full medical examination by a team of “trusted doctors”.

PIMS previously confirmed that Imran was taken to hospital, where, after obtaining his consent, he was administered an intravitreal anti-VEGF injection to treat a right central retinal vein occlusion. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar today informed the Senate that Imran was brought to PIMS at his own request.

Achakzai wrote a letter to the prime minister on the matter today, which was later shared by the opposition Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) coalition on X.

“I am writing to you with utmost urgency to draw your immediate attention to a serious matter relating to the health of former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan who is currently detained in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi,” Achakzai said.

He said it had come to his attention that the recent medical check-ups were carried out without the knowledge or presence of Imran’s personal medical team or his family members, and that his personal doctors, who were fully aware of his medical history, were not informed.

Achakzai urged that a comprehensive medical assessment be carried out at Adiala prison, saying Imran’s health was “a matter of basic human rights”.

Read more: PTI demands immediate access to Imran Khan amid hospital visit reports

“A comprehensive medical examination and testing by your trusted doctors without delay is urgently needed to properly assess and manage your health, in accordance with medical ethics, legal obligations and fundamental human rights,” the letter said.

Achakzai urged that Imran’s medical examination be conducted by doctors from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center and Shifa International Hospital, and proposed the names of Dr Muhammad Aasim Yusuf, Prof Mazhar Ishaq and Prof Aamir Awan.

“Your immediate personal intervention is necessary to ensure this medical access. To safeguard the health and well-being of a former prime minister,” the opposition leader asked Prime Minister Shehbaz.

Achakzai had also asked that Imran be granted access to his personal doctors at Monday’s NA session. urging authorities to allow an examination by independent doctors. “Send two doctors so that they can examine Imran Khan,” he had said.

He had said he would write to Chief Minister Shehbaz requesting that the detained PTI founder’s personal doctors be allowed to examine him.

The PTI had rejected the PIMS report on Imran’s eye treatment, demanding that he be treated at Shaukat Khanum Hospital and his family be allowed to join him.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram speaking at Express News programme, ‘Centre Stage’, said the party did not accept any PIMS report. “The treatment of the PTI founder should be carried out at Shaukat Khanum, and the founder’s family should be allowed to meet him. Our response is that these reports and vlogs should stop. We will not be satisfied with these actions,” he said.

He recalled that during the PTI government, when PML-N president Nawaz Sharif was ill, Imran had said that political differences should be put aside and no one’s life should be politicized.

Akram emphasized that public emotions should not be exploited. “We say the PTI founder should be treated at Shaukat Khanum, not at PIMS,” he added.

He questioned the relevance of objections to an examination performed by the founder’s own doctor. “Haven’t meetings been arranged with the founder before? Now they are giving us sermons about the manuals and prison laws,” he said.