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PTI decries 'secrecy' as Imran Khan receives second eye injection at PIMS

PTI decries 'secrecy' as Imran Khan receives second eye injection at PIMS

Pakistan

PTI questions lack of transparency after Imran Khan receives second eye injection at PIMS in overnight hospital visit.

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised fresh concerns over what it described as government “secrecy” after former prime minister Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for follow-up treatment of an eye ailment in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to hospital officials, the PTI founder was administered a second dose of anti-VEGF intravitreal injection on February 24 as part of treatment for right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a condition that emerged publicly in late January. His first procedure had been carried out on January 24 and confirmed by the government several days later.

The latest development has intensified the ongoing political dispute between the government and the opposition, with PTI leaders and family members questioning the circumstances of the late-night hospital transfer.

PTI’s official account on X said the situation “demands transparency, not secrecy”, arguing that such actions only raise further questions. The party reiterated its demand that the former premier be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for what it called independent and transparent care.

A video shared by the party purported to show a convoy moving at night, with a voice claiming the vehicles were returning from PIMS. However, it could not be independently verified whether the convoy was carrying the jailed leader.

In its statement, the party insisted that Imran Khan’s treatment should take place in the presence of his personal physicians and family members. It also called for an immediate explanation of what it termed “irresponsible conduct” and urged the adoption of a credible mechanism to restore public confidence.

PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the party had not been informed in advance about the medical visit and reiterated the demand for treatment at Shifa International.

“There is no justification to obstruct his treatment or meetings,” he told reporters near the prison, adding that informing the family beforehand could have avoided the controversy.

PTI leaders continued to question the late-night transfer. Party figure Ali Muhammad Khan remarked that bringing the former prime minister to and from hospital in the dark raised concerns, asking why secrecy was necessary if the medical reports were accurate.

Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, also questioned the process, saying the family learned about the hospital visit through media reports. “When the law requires that family be informed before any medical procedure is conducted on a prisoner, why was the family not informed?” she wrote on X.

She further alleged that the family did not trust diagnoses from government medical facilities and claimed there were reports that doctors at Pims were being pressured not to disclose information. No official confirmation of such claims has been provided.

Tuesday and Thursday are court-mandated days for family members and lawyers to meet the jailed leader. On Tuesday, his sisters Aleema, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan headed towards Adiala Jail but PTI claimed they were stopped by police at Dahgal Naka. During the visit, Noreen Niazi was reported by PTI officials to have slipped and fallen into a drain while going to offer prayers.

Aleema Khanum later questioned why the family was allegedly being denied meetings if authorities maintained that proper medical care was being provided. She also claimed her brother had been kept in solitary confinement for more than four months, apart from limited family visits.

Aleema Khan rejected the medical reports and repeated the demand for treatment at Shifa International under the supervision of Imran Khan’s personal doctors and in the presence of family members. She also questioned whether PIMS was adequately equipped to handle the specific eye condition.

Former PTI MNA Omar Ayub Khan described the treatment without the presence of personal physicians as “totally unacceptable” and urged the judiciary to intervene.

Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai said it was regrettable that neither the family nor opposition leaders were aware of the hospital visit beforehand. He said he had contacted opposition figures including Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas, who were also unaware of the development.

TTAP leaders staged protests outside the Supreme Court for a second consecutive day, demanding the early hearing of the former prime minister’s cases and calling for his release.

Government explanation

Responding in the Senate, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the examination was conducted by a four-member medical board at Pims and that the late-night timing was chosen for security and operational reasons.

He said the arrangement was intended to minimise disruption to hospital services and ensure routine patient care was not affected. The minister stressed that matters such as bail, release or foreign travel for a convicted prisoner fall within the courts’ jurisdiction.

Tarar added that the former prime minister was taken to the hospital with his consent and examined by a board including retinal specialist Dr Nadeem Qureshi of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital and Prof Arif, head of ophthalmology at Pims.

The minister said the board carried out a comprehensive assessment including ophthalmological, cardiac and general medical evaluations, insisting the process complied fully with the jail manual and existing legal provisions.

He also reiterated the government’s position that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees equality before the law and that no special arrangements outside prescribed rules were permitted.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry later confirmed that doctors had recommended the second procedure after observing improvement following the first injection. He said the process was completed successfully and the former premier was returned to Adiala Jail after medical clearance.

According to a PIMS doctor, the procedure was performed as day-care surgery after the patient underwent cardiology checks including echocardiography and ECG, both reported as normal.

The doctor said informed consent was obtained and the injection was administered under standard monitoring in the operation theatre by ophthalmology specialists from Pims and Al-Shifa Eye Hospital. The patient remained vitally stable before, during and after the procedure and was discharged with follow-up instructions.

Another hospital official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said security at the facility was heightened on Monday night. He stated the former premier arrived at approximately 11:30pm and was taken back to jail around 1:30am after recovery.

Meanwhile, the government has indicated that a third eye injection is scheduled for March 24 as part of the ongoing treatment plan.

Separately, PTI representatives met the Supreme Court registrar seeking early fixation of pending cases. Gohar Ali Khan described the health issue as humanitarian rather than political and said party lawyer Latif Khosa would file the necessary application.

The government maintains that all medical arrangements for the jailed former premier are being carried out transparently and in accordance with the law, while the opposition continues to press for access to personal physicians and greater disclosure surrounding his treatment.

Related Topics
IMRAN KHAN
PTI
Imran Khan
Pakistan
Pakistan Politics



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