Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will be shifted to a hospital, a government minister said on Saturday, as the opposition persisted with its sit-in at the Parliament House in Islamabad.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry's statement came hours after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar assured that the PTI founder’s further checkup and treatment will be done at a "specialised medical facility by eye specialists".
Taking to his X handle, the minister said, “Considering his [Imran] health, it has been decided to shift him [PTI founder] to the hospital and form a medical board.”
He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government prioritises humanitarianism and legal requirements, adding that it is the government’s responsibility to provide facilities to every prisoner as per the law.
“There should be no politics on sensitive issues like health,” he said, urging the PTI to avoid baseless propaganda or political point-scoring over Imran’s health.
The government is fulfilling its responsibilities, the minister added.
The PTI, however, rejected any hospital transfer of the party founder without prior consent from family and personal physicians.
In a statement posted on the party's official X account, a PTI spokesperson demanded that Imran Khan be examined in the presence of at least one family member.
The spokesperson emphasised that no medical treatment should commence in the absence of the former premier's personal doctors, saying attempts to withhold details about the PTI founder’s health were unacceptable.
The PTI spokesperson warned that the government would be responsible for the "consequences of any secretive or unilateral actions."
Treatment must proceed promptly on humanitarian grounds, the spokesperson said, describing further delays as "inhumane and regrettable."
Earlier, the information minister said in a post on X that a detailed report would also be submitted to the Supreme Court.
“Conjecture, speculations and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and mileage for vested interests may please be avoided,” he added.
Speaking on Geo News programme, Naya Pakistan, the information minister said that the PTI founder would be provided with “timely and proper” treatment as per the jail protocols.
He said that the best medical experts are being made available for the treatment of the PTI founder.
Responding to a question, he said: “The PTI founder has a problem with his eye, but there is no threat to his life.”
Quoting Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) report on Imran’s eye procedure, the minister said that the doctors confirmed that there is “no serious issue”.
To another query, he questioned who told him [Imran Khan] that he had lost 85% of the sight in his right eye, asking, “Where was the test conducted?”
“The report issued by Pims does not mention 85% of the patient’s vision loss,” Tarar added.
To another question, the information minister said he could not say at this stage which hospital the PTI founder would be shifted to.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister rejected the impression that a deal is being struck with the PTI founder.
The opposition parties have staged a sit-in to demand that the jailed former premier be transferred to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad after it emerged that Imran's right eye was left with only 15% vision “due to a delay in providing treatment”.
Imran, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his ouster from power through the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.
The protest demonstrations are being staged at the Parliament House, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House and the Parliament Lodges, with National Assembly Opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allam Raja Nasir Abbas, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and former CM Ali Amin Gandapur also among the protesting politicians along with other opposition lawmakers.
In a video statement from the Parliament House, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said they had been informed that authorities had agreed to shift the ailing former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital.
“We were also told that one family member of the PTI founder will be allowed to meet him,” he added.
Raja said proper medical treatment is the PTI founder’s right and should not be delayed.
The PTI leader said a telephone call had been arranged between the PTI founder and his sons.
Separately, Aleema Khanum —Imran's sister — also confirmed that the PTI founder spoke to his sons for “approximately 20 minutes”.
Imran was extremely happy to hear the voice of his sons — Sulaiman and Kasim Khan — after such a long time, she said, quoting his sons.
Taking to her X handle, Aleema said: “We are now awaiting his urgent medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital Islamabad under the supervision of his personal doctors, where specialist doctors must make every possible effort to restore his eyesight.”
She said the “intentional delay” in providing him with timely treatment has already caused damage to his eyesight.
“We cannot and will not tolerate any further delay, and immediate specialist care is essential to prevent any permanent loss of vision,” Aleema added.
The latest tensions between the government and the PTI follow last month's confirmation of Imran undergoing a medical procedure for his eye at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
The former premier was diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a disorder that commonly affects older adults and is linked to underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
Pims Executive Director Dr Rana Imran Sikandar later confirmed that a team of senior doctors assessed Imran’s condition before discharging him.
Sharing details of the treatment, Dr Sikandar said that Imran underwent a specialised medical procedure after doctors diagnosed a condition affecting the vision in his right eye.
Dr Sikandar said the procedure was performed in a sterile operating theatre under close monitoring and was completed successfully in about 20 minutes.
