Pak doctors examine Imran Khan in jail after party raises concerns over eyesight

Pakistan's incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan was examined by a team of government doctors in Adiala Jail on Wednesday following concerns raised by his party over his eye ailment. However, the government is yet to issue an official statement on his health condition.

“A doctors’ team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has a medical check-up of Imran Khan in Adiala Jail,” a Punjab government official told PTI.

He said the nature of Khan’s ailment or infection would be made public after the doctors submitted their report. Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed that he was diagnosed with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, a condition which involves a blockage in the retinal vein and “carries a high risk of permanent damage” to eyesight if not treated promptly and properly.

The party criticised the government and jail authorities for not allowing Khan to be shifted to a hospital for specialised treatment.

“The jail administration is stubbornly insisting that the treatment be carried out inside the jail, while the attending specialist doctor has clearly stated that such treatment is not possible in jail and that it requires an operation theatre and specialised medical facilities. This reckless attitude puts Khan's eye vision and his overall health in grave danger,” it said.

The government has imposed a ban on Khan’s meetings in jail until February 8 following his remarks on social media against the Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Gen Asim Munir.

The party said Khan was last allowed access to his personal physician in October 2024 and, despite Islamabad High Court orders, his doctor has not been permitted to examine him since then.

“This is a blatant violation of court orders and a gross breach of fundamental human rights,” it said, claiming that a petition seeking regular medical check-ups for Khan has been pending since August 2025.

The party warned that any permanent damage to Khan’s eyesight would be the responsibility of the government and the Adiala Jail administration.

The Shaukat Khanum Hospital administration has also written to the government seeking immediate access to Khan and permission to participate in his medical care.

In December last year, amid rumours about Khan’s health, the government had allowed his sister Uzma Khan to meet him in jail. After the meeting, she said he was in good physical health but under “severe mental strain due to prolonged solitary confinement”.

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