Imran Khan rushed to hospital ‘under cover of night’ for medical treatment amid concerns over eyesight

Khan could permanently lose vision if eye condition left untreated in jail, party warns

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was transferred to a hospital from his prison cell for medical treatment amid concerns that an untreated eye condition could lead to permanent damage to his sight.

On Thursday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party said in a statement that there was “serious concern following the federal information minister’s confirmation that Khan was transferred from the Adiala prison to a hospital for medical treatment without prior notice to his family, legal counsel, or political representatives”.

This comes after his party warned that Khan could lose his vision if his eye condition were left untreated. The PTI disclosed that Khan had been diagnosed with a blockage in the retinal vein of his right eye – a condition known as central retinal vein occlusion. “The medical condition which, if not treated promptly and properly, carries a high risk of permanent damage to his eyesight,” the party said in a statement. Party officials claim Khan is already experiencing blurred vision.

Political party PTI says Khan had also spent 100 days without contact with his legal team (AFP via Getty)

Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is serving multiple sentences related to corruption and the leaking of state secrets – convictions he has repeatedly described as politically motivated.

Earlier this week, PTI said Khan had spent 100 days without contact with his legal team – raising fresh concerns over due process and the fairness of the ongoing legal proceedings against him.

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan’s PTI, said: “Authorities have provided no verifiable details regarding Imran Khan’s medical condition, the treatment administered, the specialists involved, or the basis for his immediate return to prison. Government claiming that the episode was routine remains unsupported by transparent medical disclosure.”

“We have credible concerns that Imran Khan is suffering from a serious medical condition that involves his vision, requiring independent specialist care. Continued denial of access to family members and personal physicians, particularly following hospitalisation, raises grave human-rights concerns and appears inconsistent with Pakistan’s obligations under international standards.”

Earlier, he wrote on X (Twitter): “This is a serious and rapidly escalating concern. Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) requires immediate medical attention and may indicate serious underlying health conditions.

“It is imperative that accurate and responsible medical attention and information be provided without delay. His personal doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital must be granted immediate and unhindered access to him. Any further delay could result in irreversible harm.”

The party accused prison authorities of preventing Khan’s personal physician from examining him for months, calling the restrictions “reckless” and warning that they were placing his health in “grave danger”.

Access to Khan has become a growing flashpoint. Lawyers, senior PTI figures, and his sisters say they have been unable to meet him for nearly three months, despite a court order allowing family members and legal counsel to visit twice weekly. Protests outside the Adiala prison demanding access have been met with teargas and water cannon.

Mr Bukhari earlier told The Independent that it was “absurd” how Khan was being denied access to his lawyers even as the authorities continued to pursue a multitude of cases against him, and that it was being done “because the authorities do not want any communication with Imran Khan”.

“They know that whenever he speaks, it generates enormous public attention and noise, and offers guidance to the country, even from within a small jail cell,” he said.

Khan’s sister, Noreen Niazi, wrote on X: “Our brother, Imran Khan, was taken under the cover of the night to the PIMS Hospital on the pretext of eye treatment. He was kept there for three hours and then transferred back to Adiala Jail in an atmosphere of extreme mystery and terrifying silence. If this news is true, it is not merely oppression, it is a blatant crime.”

She added: “Why does no one have the courage to tell the truth to Imran Khan’s family and lawyers? Who is this being hidden from, and on whose orders? What treatment is our brother being subjected to inside the jail, and why are our family and lawyers being kept in the dark? Imran Khan is not just another prisoner. He is the hope of this nation. To endanger his health is nothing less than an attempt to blind the entire country.”

Pakistani authorities have yet to respond publicly to the latest allegations. In the past, they have rejected claims of mistreatment, insisting that Khan is being provided the same facilities as other inmates.

Khan served as prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was removed through a no-confidence vote after a breakdown in relations with Pakistan’s powerful military. Since his arrest, he has faced more than 100 cases. He was sentenced to three years in prison for selling state gifts, followed by a further 14-year term in January 2025. His wife, Bushra Bibi, remains jailed after receiving a seven-year sentence in the same corruption case.