Imran Khan’s family ‘extremely worried’ after he is denied hospital treatment for eye condition

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s family say they are “extremely worried” about his health after he was refused hospital treatment for a serious eye condition.

The 73-year-old, who has been in jail for over two years, has lost almost 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye and underwent surgery in late January to remove a blood clot, his lawyer said last week.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the authorities to provide Mr Khan with a thorough medical assessment by a panel of doctors, as well as to allow him a telephone call with his sons, before Monday.

But while a specialist eye hospital made preparations to receive Mr Khan in Rawalpindi on Sunday, he was instead examined within the prison compound without his personal doctors or family present.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) raised concerns over the “closed-door” procedure, saying it lacks credibility and raises more questions than answers.

Khan’s sisters, Noreen Khanum and Aleema Khanum, on Monday said they rejected any assessment by government-appointed doctors, calling the process “unacceptable”.

“Imran Khan shall not be given any treatment without the presence and approval of his personal doctors and family members,” Aleema Khanum said.

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“Our family is getting extremely worried as to why they are resisting the selection of specialists advised by Imran Khan’s personal doctors,” she said in a statement.

Khan’s eye condition has become the latest flashpoint over the former prime minister’s incarceration on charges which he and his party say are politically motivated. His family have repeatedly accused the jail authorities of denying Khan treatment and say his vision has worsened because of inaction by the prison authorities.

The family also say they fear another attempt on Khan’s life after he survived being shot during a rally in November 2022. That incident left him with long-term health complaints including nerve damage.

Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said he began experiencing “persistent blurred and hazy vision” last October.

Since then, he “appeared visibly perturbed and deeply distressed by the loss of vision and the absence of timely and specialised medical intervention,” Mr Safdar wrote in a filing which was made public last week.

The government has denied denying Khan treatment and gave conflicting details of when he made the first complaints regarding his sight issues.

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Rana Sanaullah, a special assistant to the current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said Khan first reported the problem in early January and that the doctors were examining him every two days. He rejected allegations that prison officials had ignored his complaints before that.

Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said further check-ups would be done at a specialised medical facility by eye specialists.

“A detailed report thereof will also be submitted in the Supreme Court. Conjecture, speculations and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and mileage for vested interests may please be avoided,” he wrote on X.

PTI spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari denounced the medical assessment that he said was carried out in secrecy and “deepens suspicion”.

“The so-called ‘medical examination’ of Imran Khan, conducted behind closed doors, without the presence of his personal physicians or even a family representative, raises more questions than it answers,” he said on Sunday as the doctors arrived inside the jail.

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“For months, concerns over Imran Khan’s deteriorating health have intensified. Yet instead of ensuring transparency, authorities continue to opt for opaque, controlled check-ups that exclude those legally entitled to oversee his care,” he added.

Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before he was ousted by a vote of no confidence in parliament. He has alleged that his ouster resulted from a US-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. The claims were denied by Washington, Pakistan's military and his political opponents.

Since being removed from power, Khan has been arrested or charged with scores of different criminal and civil cases, all of which he says are designed to keep him from running for office again. He and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in jail after a court found them guilty of illegally retaining and selling state gifts.

Wasim Akram, a former teammate of Khan and fellow Pakistan cricket legend, called it “heartbreaking” that his former captain was facing health issues.

“I sincerely hope the authorities take this seriously and ensure he receives the best possible medical care. Wishing him strength, a speedy recovery, and a full return to good health,” he wrote on X.

Another former Pakistan cricket captain, Waqar Younis, said” "Putting politics aside, our national hero who gave us our greatest glory on the sporting field, a cancer hospital [which] helped so many, including my own mother, is suffering a health emergency and requires urgent treatment. I humbly request the related authorities he gets the appropriate treatment in a timely manner. Get well soon skipper."