ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to shift incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan to a private hospital for a medical examination, a day after jail officials claimed that his eyesight had improved to “almost normal”.
The directive was issued while the court heard several petitions seeking better medical treatment for the 73-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, particularly over an eye condition that emerged earlier this year.
The petitioners had sought Khan’s hospitalisation, expressing dissatisfaction with the treatment provided at government hospitals.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed directed that Khan be taken to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within the next few days.
“Mindful of the fundamental rights, we are issuing this order to ensure the health and safety of the prisoner,” Justice Waheed said.
Khan, a former cricketer-turned-politician who has remained imprisoned since August 2023, has been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad several times for treatment of right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), an eye condition diagnosed in late January.
Adiala Jail authorities said Khan had received proper medical care since the condition was detected. He was treated at PIMS by its head of ophthalmology, Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, along with Dr Nadeem Qureshi, a vitreo-retinal surgeon at Alshifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.
According to the jail authorities, Khan’s condition showed significant improvement following treatment, with his vision reportedly returning to almost normal.
The authorities maintained that the medical interventions and subsequent improvement demonstrated that the jail administration had made efforts to provide the former prime minister with appropriate healthcare facilities.
