Imran Khan to get medical care at preferred facility, says Tariq Fazal Chaudhry

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday said the government would not allow any negligence in Pakistan in the eye examination and medical treatment of Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, adding that they would be carried out wherever orders were given.

PTI lawyer Salman Safdar on Thursday submitted a report ordered by the Supreme Court after meeting the former prime minister in Adiala jail earlier this week. Imran informed Safdar that his right eye was now functioning at only 15% of its capacity after he underwent a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) last month.

As a result, the two-member court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan ordered that Imran be granted access to his personal doctors in Adiala Jail and allowed telephone contact with his children. The revelations about Imran’s eye sparked outrage among opposition ranks and other politicians.

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Addressing the issue today in a speech in front of Parliament, Chaudhry said: “Imran’s eye will be examined wherever it is ordered. If he says it is for Al-Shifa Eye Trust, then that is where the eye will be examined and if the CJP recommends another doctor, then they will be contacted. No negligence will be allowed in this. We want this matter to be brought before the entire nation; that issue is a sensitive issue.”

He said the matter should not be politicized and that appropriate medical care was being provided in accordance with medical advice.

Chaudhry said Imran had earlier complained of an eye problem and any negligence, if proven, would lead to liability.

The minister added that Uzma Khanum had told the media after a meeting with Imran in October that his health was good, and again expressed satisfaction with his condition on December 2. He said Imran did not even mention any eye problem until mid-January.

“Politicizing an eye condition is in itself a criminal act,” he said.

The minister said that on January 16, Imran formally complained of eye discomfort, after which the prison authorities transferred him to PIMS in accordance with medical requirements so that his eye could be treated in a hospital. He added that an experienced ophthalmologist had prepared a medical report and that the medical evaluation would be carried out again.

“CJP Yahya Afridi himself is taking up the case,” the minister added.

Chaudhry further said that the matter had also been discussed with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

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Aleema Khanum criticizes the government’s “clear conspiracy”

Responding to her press conference, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum slammed her in a post on X, calling it a “clear conspiracy on the part of the government.”

He added: “We do not want Imran Khan to be treated in Al Shifa Rawalpindi. We have repeatedly and unequivocally stated that Imran Khan should be treated at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, the center where the identified specialists are located. The decision has been taken by his personal doctors, and any examination or treatment must be carried out there, under the direct supervision of his personal medical team and Dr Uzma Khan.

“There are serious concerns that he may be forcibly transferred in the middle of the night to Al Shifa Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi without informing his family and personal doctors. It may then be falsely claimed that Imran Khan himself requested to be taken there. The reality is that he may not even be aware of the existence of this hospital. This is not acceptable as we have no confidence in those who are responsible for intentionally allowing his eye to deteriorate.”

He earlier asked why the written order from the Supreme Court had not yet been received.

“It is one o’clock in the afternoon on Friday and we have not yet received the written order from the Supreme Court,” he said. He said formal written instructions were required to ensure that Imran was examined by specialists and treated under the supervision of his own doctors at Shifa International Hospital.

CJP Afridi had given a period of two days for execution of the order; However, Aleema said the directive could not be implemented without a written order. “Given the urgency and the risk to his eyesight, why did the CJP delay issuing the written orders?” he added.

She said the order had not yet been provided at the time of a post on Day X at 3:40 p.m.