He says enough is enough: anyone who can’t bear the weight of the founder’s narrative should step aside.
Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Wednesday slammed the party leadership for its inaction regarding her brother’s release from prison and his deteriorating health, saying those who cannot bear the burden of the founder’s narrative should step aside.
“The party seems relaxed, as if the founder’s treatment has already been completed. We do not see any action from the PTI on health. Enough is enough: anyone who cannot bear the weight of the founder’s narrative should step aside,” he said, while speaking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court.
Imran has been detained since August 2023, serving time in Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending lawsuits under the Anti-Terrorism Law in connection with the May 9, 2023 protests.
Read more: Khosa expresses concern over Imran’s health
The PTI has intensified calls for his release after a medical report submitted to the court claimed that vision in his right eye had decreased to 15 percent. However, government officials maintain that he is receiving adequate medical care.
Aleema further emphasized that no decisions or statements regarding Imran’s health should be made without the consent of his family. “The party should not issue any statement or make any decisions regarding the founder’s health without our permission,” he said.
He also criticized the party for not responding to Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s claims. “The information we are receiving from Mohsin Naqvi should have been shared with us by lawyer Gohar,” he added.
Read more: Medical board reports improvement in Imran Khan’s eye condition
Aleema accused the government of putting pressure on the official doctors treating her brother. “We have been informed that pressure is being put on government doctors. Now we will communicate our message to the party not in private, but before the media,” he said.
He also questioned why Imran Khan’s lawyers were not ensuring that his cases were heard in court. “We sat for hours in court, but Justice Dogar does not take up the cases. He was brought from the Lahore High Court specifically for this purpose – to avoid taking up Imran’s cases,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, Imran was brought to PIMS for follow-up eye treatment i.e. a second dose of anti-VEGF intravitreal injection in the early hours of Tuesday. Before the procedure, he was examined by a specialist committee, which included a consultant cardiologist who also performed echocardiography and ECG.
Also read: Imran agreed to apologize on May 9
Last week, a medical board that examined him reported an improvement in his vision and did not recommend transferring him to a hospital. According to his medical report, his vision in his right eye has improved from 6/36 to 6/9, while his left eye maintains 6/6 vision with the use of glasses. The assessment was carried out by Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif, after a detailed examination at Adiala Jail.
According to the medical report, the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and the cornea was clean. Mild intragel hemorrhage was noted at the edge of the right eye and moderate retinal hemorrhage was noted in all four quadrants. The swelling of the macula in the right eye was decreasing and the macular thickness was reduced from 550 to 350 microns.
The board described the ongoing medication and treatment and recommended OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completion of anti-VEGF therapy, the report added, although no recommendation was made for Imran’s transfer to a hospital.
