Imran Khan taken to Islamabad hospital for eye treatment, his party questions secrecy

Pakistan's incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan was on Tuesday taken to a hospital at Islamabad for treating an eye ailment, officials said even as his party demanded “transparency, not secrecy” about his health updates.

The 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who has been at the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, since 2023, was last month diagnosed with right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) affecting his vision.

Khan was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) at Islamabad for a second dose of anti-VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor) intravitreal injection, a doctor at the hospital said. He was later shifted back to the Adiala Jail. He had received treatment earlier on 24 January.

“Prior to the procedure, he was examined by a board of specialists: a consultant cardiologist who also performed echocardiography and ECG (result: normal) and a consultant physician.

The procedure was carried out as a day-care surgery and Khan’s vitals remained stable throughout, the doctor added. He was discharged after the procedure with instructions for care and follow-up.

Earlier, Khan’s family and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had demanded that he be treated at Shifa International Hospital, a private facility in Islamabad.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said it was “necessary to clarify that the government took him (Khan) to PIMS under strict security arrangements while fulfilling all legal and humanitarian requirements.”

Khan's party demanded “transparency, not secrecy” in his treatment and reiterated its call for him to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for what it described as independent and transparent medical care.

In a social media post, Khan's sister Aleema Khanum said: “We do not trust the diagnosis or test reports from the government medical facilities.”

Separately, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-in-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance staged a protest outside the Supreme Court demanding Khan's release from jail. The alliance had also held a protest on Monday seeking early hearings of cases against him.

The former prime minister was convicted and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment in a corruption case, while over a dozen cases against him are at different stages in the courts.