- The PTI chief says he was informed only after Imran’s check.
- Barrister Gohar calls for a political solution to the ongoing crisis.
- The government says Imran will receive the third injection on March 24.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have renewed their demand for party founder Imran Khan to have access to his personal doctor and family, following the government’s announcement that the former prime minister was transferred overnight to a hospital for treatment of an eye condition.
Late on Monday, Imran was transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad, where he received a second dose of an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as part of the ongoing treatment of his diagnosed eye disease, the hospital said in the statement.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that the party had not been given prior notice of the second medical check-up by the PTI founder and reiterated that Imran’s treatment should be done at Shifa International Hospital in the presence of family members and personal doctors.
Speaking to the media near Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, he said the government had mentioned a date for the inquiry but it would not take place at night.
“Last night I was told that the medical examination had been carried out and that he [Imran] had been moved back to prison,” he added.
“There is no justification to obstruct his treatment or meetings,” Gohar said, adding that if a person is asked to be present during the PTI founder’s treatment, it should not become a matter of ego for someone else.
PTI has called for the transfer of the former prime minister to a hospital after last month’s report revealed that he was diagnosed with a serious eye condition, central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).
Imran, 74, has been jailed since August 2023 following convictions he and his PTI say are politically motivated.
Referring to the proposed ‘Imran Khan Release Force’, the PTI chief said the matter had been discussed in the party but stressed that the party would not take any illegal or unconstitutional step.
“We are a political party and believe in political struggle. We do not believe in armed struggle or keeping militias,” he said.
Gohar maintained that the former ruling party would raise its voice in all forums – on the streets, in parliament and in the courts – but would act strictly within the constitution and the law.
“Pakistan’s problems have a political solution,” he said, adding that efforts were being made to hold talks, although others had not responded.
Separately, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan demanded that the PTI founder be given access to his personal doctors.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, he questioned why the former prime minister was brought to and taken back from the hospital at night.
“Smugglers operate at night, not states. If the government’s report on his health is correct, why so much secrecy?” he asked.
The PTI leader said that informing Gohar and the family before taking Imran to the hospital would have resolved the matter, adding that the former prime minister’s personal doctors never issued a political statement.
Meanwhile, the government has announced that Imran would be given a third injection on March 24.
In a statement on X, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the jailed former prime minister underwent a second procedure at Pims after showing signs of improvement following the first procedure at the same medical facility.
“Today’s process was completed successfully and after the approval of the medical team, he was shifted back to Adiala,” he added.
