Imran Khan's Midnight Hospital Transfer Sparks Family Outcry Over Secrecy
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan was transferred from Adiala Jail to Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in the early hours of Tuesday for a scheduled second eye injection, according to a hospital press statement. The 74-year-old politician's party and family have raised serious concerns about what they describe as a clandestine midnight operation conducted under tight security.
Growing Health Concerns and Family Distrust
Concerns have been mounting over Khan's health after his lawyer claimed he had lost 85 percent of vision in his right eye due to delayed treatment while in custody. The government maintains that Khan is receiving proper medical care, noting he underwent surgery in late January to remove a blood clot from his right eye. However, his family strongly objects to his receiving treatment without consultation with his trusted personal physicians.
Khan's sister, Aleema Khanum, who has been staging sit-in protests outside the jail for days, expressed outrage that the family only learned about the transfer through news reports. "We do not trust the diagnosis or test reports from government medical facilities," she stated, calling the overnight operation "criminal." She further alleged that doctors at PIMS are being threatened with serious consequences if any information about Khan's condition is leaked.
Hospital Statement and Political Response
PIMS issued a statement confirming that Khan was examined by a board of specialists, including a consultant cardiologist who performed echocardiography and ECG tests. The hospital reported that "Mr Imran Khan was found to be clinically stable" and that a second dose of an intravitreal Anti-VEGF injection was administered by surgeons from PIMS and Al-Shifa Eye Hospital. The procedure was performed as day-care surgery, and Khan remained vitally stable throughout before being discharged with follow-up instructions.
Khan's foreign press adviser, Zulfiqar Bukhari, dismissed the hospital's statement as insufficient. "PTI strongly maintains that a perfunctory two-line procedural note cannot conceivably substitute for a comprehensive, independently verified medical report," he asserted. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's official social media account echoed these concerns, stating: "The situation demands transparency, not secrecy."
Political Context and International Attention
Imran Khan, a polarizing figure in Pakistani politics who captained the national cricket team to World Cup victory in 1992, has been incarcerated since August 2023 following his conviction in a corruption case. Although granted bail in some instances, he remains imprisoned due to multiple other charges and convictions, including a separate sentence for allegedly securing land from a business tycoon in return for facilitating the transfer of £190 million recovered by the UK's National Crime Agency during his tenure.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addressed concerns about the transfer, stating there had been improvement in Khan's eyesight after the first procedure and that expert physicians recommended the second injection. He confirmed that Khan would receive a third dose exactly 30 days later, on March 24, and emphasized that the government acted within legal and humanitarian requirements.
The situation has attracted international attention, with a group of 14 cricket stars from various countries, including political rival India, demanding better treatment for Pakistan's cricketing icon. Khan's family continues to insist that he be examined and treated at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad by specialists under the supervision of his personal doctors and in the presence of his family members.
