Court orders doctors’ access, calls with sons; emphasizes equal care for all inmates
Imran Khan. PHOTO: PIXABAY
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Adiala jail, has informed officials that his right eye is now functioning at only 15 percent capacity after undergoing a medical procedure at Islamabad’s PIMS hospital earlier this month.
This was revealed by a report prepared by lawyer Salman Safdar on the Supreme Court directions. Safdar on Tuesday presented the report to a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan. As a result, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that Imran Khan be given access to his personal doctors in Adiala jail and allowed telephone contact with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman.
The PTI founder is currently in state custody, the chief justice said, adding that all prisoners, including Khan, should receive equal medical facilities.
“We absolutely do not want to say that the PTI founder should be given preferential facilities compared to other prisoners,” the chief justice said. “Everyone should be treated equally,” CJP Afridi added.
Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan said they are ready to provide access to expert eye specialists.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Salman Safdar to visit the Adiala jail and submit a detailed report on the living conditions and facilities available to Khan, who has been lodged there for the past two years and four months. A copy of the report, available with Express Pakinomistgives for the first time an account of Khan’s life in custody in his own words.
The meeting between Safdar, designated as a friend of the court, and Khan lasted two hours. According to the report, Khan, referred to as “the petitioner”, said he has been “subjected to solitary confinement for approximately two years and four months” since his transfer from District Jail Attock in October 2023.
Read: SC orders access to personal doctors, phone calls to Imran Khan in Adiala jail
During the meeting, Khan repeatedly highlighted the “rapid and significant loss of vision during the previous three months while he was living and detained under the care and custody of Adiala Jail Inspector Abdul Ghafoor Anjum.” He told Safdar that his concerns about his eyes “were not taken seriously or addressed by the prison authorities.”
Khan said that until October 2025, his vision was “6×6”, but it later began to blur. His right eye gradually deteriorated, reducing his overall vision. This led to an investigation by ophthalmologist Dr. Muhammad Arif at PIMS Hospital where he was told that he had a blood clot. The report noted that Khan appeared visibly concerned about the deterioration of his right eye. “Throughout the meeting, the petitioner’s eyes were watery and he repeatedly used a napkin to wipe them, reflecting physical discomfort,” it added.
The report also detailed other health concerns. Khan said he has not had a dental check-up for two years and despite being 73 years old, regular blood tests had not been carried out. He said that his personal physicians, Drs. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Asim Yusuf, was earlier given access, which was later revoked. For nearly three months, Khan said the only treatment he received was eye drops, “which resulted in no improvement and was followed by a significant deterioration of the vision of his right eye.” He confirmed that his right eye is now functioning at only 15 percent capacity.
Describing his daily routine, Khan said he eats breakfast at 9:45 and spends an hour reading the Koran. For physical training, he has access to limited equipment, including an exercise machine and nine kilo weights. He stays in his cell, which contains a chair, table, bed and hanger, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.
His meals include coffee, porridge and dates for breakfast and he is allowed to choose his weekly menu, which he pays for himself. This includes two days of chicken, two days of meat and two days of pulses or chaat/sandwiches. Bottled water from Nestlé is offered. “At night I don’t eat a full meal. I eat fruit, drink milk and have dates,” Khan said.
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The report said the cell has adequate air and lighting, but knives, forks and utensils are not allowed. A prison guard helps with laundry and general cleaning, including the toilet. Khan has reportedly expressed satisfaction with these arrangements, stating, “These are essential arrangements and I am happy with them.” In the colder months he has access to a small heater and fan, and hot water is available at all times.
Khan told Safdar that summer is “particularly difficult” due to extreme heat and humidity, as well as the presence of mosquitoes and insects. He uses mosquito repellent and has a room cooler to cope with the heat. Khan said he has suffered food poisoning two to three times during the summer. About ten surveillance cameras are installed near his cell, including one outside the shower area, but none inside the room. “I have no objection to the cameras as they are for my protection,” he said.
The report also highlighted restrictions on family and legal access. Khan said he has not met his lawyers for the past five months and visits from his family have been limited. Since a change in the prison inspector, he has been allowed a 30-minute visit with his wife every week on Tuesdays. In 2025, he spoke on the phone with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, only twice. He also has access to a 30-by-12-foot green area near his cell for sunlight, a 32-inch television (currently nonfunctional), and about 100 books.
Safdar, who visited the jail as per the court’s orders, told reporters on Tuesday that the report consists of seven pages and 22 paragraphs and has been submitted to the Supreme Court. “My first responsibility was to submit the report,” he said, adding that he had praised Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and the administration of Adiala jail.
Chief Justice Afridi had directed that Safdar be treated with respect and given full access to the PTI founder’s cell. “It is expected that our friend of the court will access the PTI founder in Adiala jail with due respect,” the chief justice said. He added that Safdar’s personal staff officer would help him if he faced difficulties.
The bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, had asked Safdar to prepare the report and submit it by Wednesday to ensure a detailed account of the PTI founder’s living conditions and available facilities.
