ISLAMABAD (MNN); Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Friday said that the family of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan would be provided a copy of his medical report, amid growing concerns over his health and treatment in custody.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad, Raja said the PTI leadership had spent the entire day protesting and engaging with judicial authorities to secure access to Imran Khan’s medical details and facilitate a meeting with his personal doctors. The protest coincided with a day-long sit-in staged by PTI leaders and workers, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
The protest followed confirmation by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar a day earlier that Imran Khan had undergone a medical procedure for an eye ailment last week. According to Tarar, the former premier was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on the night of January 24, where a brief procedure lasting around 20 minutes was carried out.
Raja, however, questioned the official narrative, stating that Imran Khan was taken to hospital without the knowledge of his family. He said contradictory statements had been issued for several days, with authorities initially denying that any such medical incident had occurred. He described the reports circulating about Imran Khan’s health as unsatisfactory and alarming.
The PTI secretary general said he remained in contact throughout the day with the chief justice of Pakistan, court officials, and the attorney general, but added that the outcome of these efforts fell short of expectations. He said authorities had agreed to provide Imran Khan with his complete medical record in a sealed envelope, while a copy would be handed over to his family, including his sisters.
According to Raja, once the report is received, the family will determine whether the treatment being provided is adequate and decide on future medical steps. He stressed, however, that the broader issue remained Imran Khan’s incarceration, which he termed unlawful, and reiterated PTI’s demand for his release and unrestricted visitation rights.
Earlier, PTI lawmakers and supporters had set up camp outside the Supreme Court, following an overnight sit-in outside Adiala Jail that continued until early Friday morning. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived at the apex court after briefly leaving to offer Friday prayers at KP House, later joined by Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
Addressing the media, Afridi said the entire nation was deeply concerned about the health of Imran Khan, whom he described as the country’s most popular leader. He said efforts were underway, with the involvement of the chief justice, to arrange a meeting between Imran Khan and his personal physicians. He warned that if these efforts failed, the party would announce its next course of action.
Afridi also criticised delays in court proceedings, claiming that cases involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had not been listed for over a year. He alleged that prompt hearings would result in their immediate release.
Separately, PTI leaders Salman Akram Raja and Sardar Latif Khosa met the Supreme Court registrar and the attorney general, expressing serious concern over Imran Khan’s eye condition and seeking access to the treating doctor’s report. Khosa said the issue was not only legal but a matter of fundamental human rights, asserting that Imran Khan was being denied basic constitutional protections.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and senior leader Babar Awan also addressed a press conference at KP House, describing secrecy around Imran Khan’s health as damaging to democracy. They demanded that doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital be allowed to examine him and warned of serious consequences if the medical report was not made public.
