Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with PTI leaders and KP Assembly members outside Adiala Jail on January 29, 2026.
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday announced that he, along with PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja and other party workers would spend the night at Adiala Jail Road after they were denied meeting the party’s founding president and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Afridi’s visit came after the PTI expressed concern over Imran’s health.
“Our leader was secretly transferred from jail to a hospital on Saturday night. The question is why the situation reached a point where hospitalization was necessary, why his illness was hidden and why his family was not informed. If the condition was so serious, why was it not communicated?” the KP prime minister asked while speaking to the media.
“Why didn’t he confide in his personal doctor? What were the reasons for hiding this for so many days? The life of [PTI] The founder has been in danger. “The nation will not tolerate any compromise on its life.”
Earlier in the day, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Imran had undergone a medical procedure for an eye ailment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Saturday night.
This was the first time Imran was brought out of Adiala jail since he was arrested in August 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.
On Thursday, the KP chief minister, accompanied by other members of the provincial cabinet, reached Adiala Road but the police did not allow them to pass the factory checkpoint.
Afridi demanded that the PTI founder be allowed to meet his family, party members and lawyers to “avoid further deterioration of the situation”.
“We do not trust these people. The founder has been unjustly imprisoned and there has already been an attempt on his life. His family has not been informed. [about the medical procedure]and has been treated with total contempt. Neither the founder nor his family trust the government. Hiding the founder’s ill health amounts to “medical terrorism,” the KP prime minister said.
Afridi stressed that everyone has the right to be treated by their personal doctor.
Without naming PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, the KP chief minister sarcastically said that “the fugitive who fled to London had falsely claimed a drop in platelets, and an uproar arose.” [for him]”.
Afridi expressed “serious concern” over Imran’s health and said the media should raise its voice about the PTI founder’s health, noting that the nation was “rightly angry” over his medical conditions.
Launching a tirade against Nawaz again, the KP chief minister said: “Just as voices were raised in favor of a ‘convicted thief’, the same attention must be paid to the [PTI] founder”.
Speaking on the occasion, Raja said that as per the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, PTI leaders and supporters had the right to meet Imran.
As per the IHC order, he said, a list of people eligible to meet him had been submitted to the jail administration, but they were still not allowed access.
Afridi held a meeting near the factory checkpoint at a nearby kiosk after visiting hours at the jail ended. He declared that they would continue their protest on Adiala Road overnight until Imran is allowed to meet his family, his personal doctors and his lawyers.
Likewise, he stated that all provincial assembly members have been informed so that they can join in to strengthen their demand.
Tarar on Imran’s health
After days of speculation, the federal government confirmed on Thursday that jailed PTI leader Imran Khan was taken to Islamabad’s main hospital for eye treatment last weekend, sparking a strong reaction from his party, which accused authorities of keeping them in the dark about their leader’s health.
Reports had circulated that the former prime minister was taken to PIMS on Saturday night, but authorities initially refused to confirm the fact.
On Thursday, Tarar broke his silence and confirmed that Imran underwent a medical procedure at PIMS in Islamabad on the night of January 24.
Interestingly, state-run PTV published Tarar’s statement mentioning the PTI leader by name.
Tarar, according to state media, said the procedure took about 20 minutes following the recommendations of ophthalmologists who examined Khan inside Adiala jail.
“Ophthalmologists evaluated him at Adiala and told him that a minor procedure was necessary at PIMS. He was taken there on Saturday night for further examination and treatment with his written consent,” the minister said.
According to Tarar, Imran’s vital signs remained stable throughout the procedure and he was later returned safely to Adiala jail, following doctors’ instructions. “He is completely healthy. All prisoners have access to medical care as per norms, and Imran Khan is no exception,” the minister added.
Before the government’s confirmation, the PTI had sought clarification. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, in a press conference on Wednesday, expressed concern over reports that Imran Khan was suffering from an eye ailment that could cause permanent damage and demanded a meeting between the former prime minister and his family.
Following Tarar’s confirmation, the PTI strongly condemned the federal government, the Punjab government and the Adiala jail administration for “secretly” transferring Imran to PIMS, deliberately keeping his family members, lawyers and party leaders in the dark and denying him access to his personal doctors.
Imran’s son’s tweet
Imran Khan’s son Qasim Khan also posted on X, expressing grave concern about his father’s health:
“My father has spent more than 900 days in a death cell with no family visits and no access to his personal doctors. Credible reports confirm that he has been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion, a dangerous blockage that can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated urgently. Yet the authorities continue to block his treatment and deny him the doctors he trusts. I am even denied the right to speak to him. This is not governance. This is authoritarian cruelty. I call on everyone human rights defenders to act sooner “It’s too late. “The world must see that today in Pakistan democracy is empty and basic human rights are being crushed.”
Political leaders condemn “secret transfer”
The newly appointed leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, criticized the transfer, saying it amounted to criminal negligence and a flagrant violation of the Constitution. He added that the State is fully responsible for the life and health of a prisoner, and any harm will fall on those who keep him in custody.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas termed it “inhuman” and a gross violation of human rights to keep Imran Khan away from his family and personal doctors and secretly shift him to a hospital. He warned that any delay, ambiguity or denial of medical access in Khan’s case would have serious consequences and cannot be tolerated.
