Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry speaking to the media outside Parliament PHOTO: PTV/File
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan would be shifted to a hospital on February 25 for medical treatment, and clarified that the hospitalization would be limited only to giving him his second injection to treat his eye.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad on Friday, Chaudhry said Imran, 73, received his first injection on January 25 and two more injections were still pending.
“As for the matter of his eye, on January 25 he was given one injection, two are still to be administered. For that, the proposed date for injection is February 25, and a month later he will be given the third injection at the best facilities available in Pindi and Islamabad,” he said.
When asked if the former prime minister would be taken to the hospital to receive the injections, Chaudhry responded in the affirmative, adding that the injections could only be administered in a hospital equipped with tertiary care facilities. He emphasized that Imran’s hospitalization will be limited to this purpose.
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The former prime minister has been jailed since August 2023 following convictions that he and the PTI described as politically motivated. Since his removal via a no-confidence vote in 2022, he has faced multiple legal cases, including those related to state donations and an alleged illegal marriage. Some sentences have been suspended or overturned and appeals are pending. The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing.
Last month, reports emerged that the PTI founder had developed an infection in his right eye, prompting the government to shift him from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for evaluation. Initially denied by authorities, the treatment was later confirmed, with a report from PIMS hospital stating that the former prime minister had reported reduced vision in his right eye. After a thorough evaluation, a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion was made and in-hospital follow-up treatment was recommended.
The PTI rejected the official reports, demanded a meeting with its leader and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, requesting immediate access for Imran’s family and personal doctors.
Amid growing concerns over Imran’s deteriorating eyesight in custody, the Supreme Court took up the matter following a report filed by the former prime minister’s lawyer Salman Safdar. Acting as amicus curiae, Safdar reported that Imran had lost 85% vision in his right eye and expressed dissatisfaction with the medical facilities available in Adiala Jail. The report notes that the former prime minister had requested urgent access to specialist doctors.
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The Supreme Court ordered that Imran be given access to an ophthalmologist and be allowed to communicate with his children in the UK. The government maintained that there had been no negligence in the examination and treatment of Imran’s eye condition and stated that medical care would be provided as per official orders.
Following these events, a medical board examined the former prime minister and reported an improvement in his eyesight, recommending against transferring him to the hospital. The PTI, however, rejected the board’s findings and reiterated demands for immediate treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa hospital under the supervision of the former prime minister’s personal doctors.
