Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addresses the media outside Parliament PHOTO: PTV/ File
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan would be transferred to a hospital on February 25 for medical treatment, clarifying that the hospitalization would be limited only to administering 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, while two more injections were still pending.
“Regarding the issue of his eye, on January 25 he had an injection, two more are still to be administered. Because that is the proposed date of the injection on February 25 and a month later he will have the third injection at the best available facility in Pindi and Islamabad,” he said.
When asked if the former prime minister would be shifted to the hospital for the injections, Chaudhry replied in the affirmative, adding that the injections could only be administered in a hospital equipped with tertiary care facilities. He stressed that Imran’s hospitalization would be limited to this purpose.
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The former prime minister has been jailed since August 2023 following convictions he and the PTI described as politically motivated. Since his ouster through a vote of no confidence in 2022, he has faced several legal cases, including cases related to state gifts and an alleged illegal marriage. Some sentences have been suspended or overturned pending appeals. The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing.
Last month, reports surfaced that the PTI founder had developed an infection in his right eye, prompting the government to transfer 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 PIMS hospital report saying the former prime minister had reported reduced vision in his right eye. After thorough evaluation, a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion was made and hospital-based follow-up treatment was recommended.
The PTI rejected the official reports, demanded a meeting with their leader and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Justice of Pakistan seeking immediate access for Imran’s family and personal doctors.
Amid growing concern over the deterioration of Imran’s eyesight in custody, the Supreme Court took up the matter following a report submitted by the former prime minister’s lawyer, Salman Safdar. 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 noted that the former prime minister had requested urgent access to specialist doctors.
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The High Court ordered that Imran be given access to an eye specialist and allowed to communicate with his sons in the UK. The government maintained that there had been no negligence in the investigation and treatment of Imran’s eye condition and confirmed that medical attention would be provided as per official orders.
Following this development, a medical board examined the former prime minister and reported improvement in his vision and recommended no hospital transfer. 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.
