- The authorities agree to transfer Imran to Shifa: Raja International Hospital.
- A family member will be allowed to meet Imran, the opposition said.
- Imran spoke to his children for about “20 minutes,” Aleema confirms.
As the opposition continued its sit-in for the second day in Parliament on Saturday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar assured that further examinations and treatment of the ailing Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan will be carried out at a “specialized medical center by ophthalmic specialists”.
Taking his handle X, the Information Minister said that a detailed report in this regard will also be submitted before the Supreme Court.
“Please avoid conjecture, speculation and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and for the benefit of vested interests,” he added.
Opposition parties have staged a sit-in to demand that the jailed former prime minister be shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad after it emerged that Imran’s right eye had only 15% vision “due to a delay in treatment”.
Imran, who has been in prison since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his ouster from power through the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Protest rallies are taking place at Parliament House, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House and Parliament Lodges, with National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allam Raja Nasir Abbas, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and former CM Ali Amin Gandapur also among the politicians protesting along with other opposition lawmakers.
In a video statement from Parliament, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja said they had been informed that authorities had agreed to shift the ailing former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital.
“We were also told that a relative of the PTI founder will be allowed to meet him,” he added.
Raja said proper medical treatment is the right of the PTI founder and should not be delayed.
The PTI leader said that a phone call had been arranged between the PTI founder and his sons.
On the other hand, Aleema Khanum – Imran’s sister – also confirmed that the PTI founder spoke to his children for “approximately 20 minutes”.
Imran was extremely happy to hear the voice of his sons, Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, after so long, he said, quoting his sons.
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He said the “intentional delay” in providing timely treatment has already caused damage to his eyesight.
“We cannot and will not tolerate further delays, and immediate specialist care is essential to prevent any permanent vision loss,” Aleema added.
Imran diagnosed with CRVO
The latest tensions between the government and the PTI come after confirmation last month that Imran underwent a medical procedure on his eye at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
The former prime minister was diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a disorder that commonly affects older adults and is linked to underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
Pims CEO Dr Rana Imran Sikandar later confirmed that a team of senior doctors assessed Imran’s condition before discharging him.
Sharing details of the treatment, Dr Sikandar said that Imran underwent a specialized medical procedure after doctors diagnosed him with a condition that affected the vision in his right eye.
Dr Sikandar said the procedure was performed in a sterile operation theater under close monitoring and was successfully completed in about 20 minutes.
