Imran Khan undergoes eye procedure in hospital, remains in good health, party says

Pakistan’s jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan is in good health after undergoing a medical procedure for an eye condition at a government hospital, an official said on Thursday.

According to officials, Khan was first examined by a team of doctors at Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison, where he is serving multiple sentences. He was later taken to a government hospital on Saturday, where he underwent a 20-minute procedure with his consent before being returned to jail the same night.

"He is in good health," Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told Geo News.

Tarar’s remarks came after Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), raised alarm over his condition earlier in the week. Leaders and supporters of his party staged a sit-in outside the prison where he is held, demanding that his family and personal doctors be allowed to meet him, according to the Associated Press.

PTI spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari said Khan was suffering from an eye ailment and needed immediate medical attention.

Bukhari called for Khan’s personal physician to be granted access, warning in a post on X that any further delay could cause "irreversible harm."

Khan’s son, Kasim, later said on X that his father had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion, a potentially serious blockage that can lead to permanent vision loss.

"Yet authorities continue to block his treatment and deny him access to the doctors he trusts," he wrote, adding that he himself had not been allowed to speak with his father.

Tarar’s comments followed days of speculation on social media that Khan had been moved to a hospital under heavy security over the weekend. Khan has not been seen in public since his arrest in 2023 in a corruption case.

In a statement on Thursday, Bukhari described Tarar’s comments as very worrying and said the handling of Khan’s health issue had been "opaque and alarming."

Neither Khan’s family nor his legal team were informed before or after he was taken from prison for medical treatment, Bukhari said. He added that authorities had shared no verifiable details about Khan’s condition, the treatment provided, or the doctors involved.

He said the government’s attempt to portray the eye condition as routine raised "more questions than answers." Bukhari demanded immediate access for Khan’s family and personal physicians, along with full disclosure of the procedure and his current medical status.

He also urged human rights organisations to monitor the case, arguing that the treatment of a former elected prime minister in custody reflected broader concerns about the rule of law, prisoners’ rights and due process in Pakistan.

After Khan’s arrest in 2023, PTI launched a nationwide campaign demanding his release, though the momentum later faded. Authorities have since restricted meetings between Khan and his family after relatives publicly conveyed political messages calling on supporters to protest the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

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With inputs from agencies