Minister says imprisoned Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan 'in good health' after eye procedure

Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan is in good health after undergoing a medical procedure for an eye ailment at a government hospital, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday.Imran was examined by a team of doctors at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where he is serving multiple prison sentences, before being taken to a government hospital on Saturday, where he underwent a 20-minute medical procedure with his consent. "He is in good health,” Tarar told the private Geo News television channel."Eye experts examined him in Adiala Jail, after which they recommended that it was necessary to take him to Pims for a small medical process. Last Saturday night, he was taken to Pims on the recommendation of these eye doctors and experts,” Tarar said.He added that at Pims, Imran Khan’s "eyes were further examined, and after his written approval, a 20-minute medical procedure was performed.” The ex-premier was then taken back to the Adiala Jail with "important instructions.”"During the medical procedure, his vitals and everything were stable. He’s absolutely healthy,” Tarar stated and asserted that "all prisoners” have access to doctors and medical treatments when such an issue arises. "This is in accordance with the [jail] rules, and he is absolutely healthy,” he added.Asked about the concerns raised regarding Imran’s health, Tarar reiterated that the PTI founder was "absolutely fine.”The comments came after Imran Khan’s opposition party spokesman Zulfiquar Bukhari said earlier this week that the former premier was suffering from an eye condition and required "immediate medical attention.”Bukhari had called for Imran Khan’s personal physician to be granted access, warning on X that any further delay could result in "irreversible harm.”Tarar’s remarks followed days of speculation on social media that Imran Khan had been taken to a hospital under heavy security over the weekend and returned to jail the same night. Imran Khan has not been seen in public since his arrest in 2023 in a corruption case.The minister stressed that it was the medical experts’ opinion to take Imran to Pims for a medical procedure. "He is absolutely fine, and he was also perfectly fine when this medical procedure was being performed.”On Tuesday, the PTI said it had learned through credible reports that Imran Kan had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, "resulting in a dangerous blockage in the retinal vein.”Citing medical experts, the party had said that if not treated promptly and properly, CRVO could cause permanent damage to his eyesight.Also on Tuesday, PTI MPs filed a fresh petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Imran Khan.According to a senior doctor at Pims, Khan was brought to the hospital under strict security on Saturday night for the procedure, which took quite some time."Whatever procedure was going on, it was completed when the time reached in the A.M. So we can say that he was taken back on Sunday,” he claimed.The doctor said there was "extraordinary movement” on Saturday night, and the operation theatres and the anaesthesia room were cordoned off ahead of Imran’s arrival at Pims.Prior to Tarar’s confirmation, Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi had raised concerns about why the PTI founder’s family and lawyers were not being kept informed if the reports of his medical treatment were true. She also asked for his medical reports to be made public."I am a sister, and today my question is directed towards the corridors of power,” Niazi said on X this morning."According to multiple journalists and media sources, 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,” she stated.Contending that it was a "blatant crime” if the reports were true, Niazi asked: "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?”Niazi again demanded that Imran Khan’s family, personal doctors and lawyers be allowed to meet him, adding that "make his complete medical reports public.” "This is no longer a request, it is a final warning!”Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition's no-trust motion in April 2022.In a statement on Thursday, Bukhari said Tarar’s remarks were "very worrying” and described the handling of the health issue as "opaque and alarming.”Imran Khan’s family nor his legal team was informed before or after he was taken from prison for medical treatment, Bukhari said, adding that authorities had provided no verifiable details about his condition, the treatment administered or the doctors involved.Bukhari said the government’s attempt to portray the eye condition as a routine medical matter raised "more questions than answers.”He expressed serious concerns about Imran Khan’s health and demanded immediate access for his family and personal physicians, as well as full disclosure of the medical procedure and Imran Khan’s current condition.Bukhari urged human rights organisations to monitor the situation, saying the treatment of a former elected prime minister in custody reflected broader concerns about the rule of law, prisoners’ rights and due process in Pakistan.After Imran Khan's arrest in 2023,  Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, or PTI, initially launched a campaign demanding his release, but the effort later subsided.Authorities recently restricted meetings between Imran Khan and his family after relatives publicly conveyed political messages urging supporters to stage rallies against the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.