Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered an urgent medical review of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan after a court-appointed lawyer reported that he has lost most of the vision in his right eye.
Barrister Salman Safdar, appointed as amicus curiae (friend of the court), met Khan for about two hours on February 10 at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and later submitted a seven-page report to the court on Wednesday.
According to the report, the 73-year-old former premier now has only 15 percent vision in his right eye after authorities allegedly failed to act on his complaints of blurred and hazy sight for nearly three months. Safdar wrote that Khan eventually suffered a sudden and complete loss of vision in that eye.
A medical report dated February 6 diagnosed him with right central retinal vein occlusion, a condition caused by a blood clot that can seriously damage the retina. An eye specialist from a government hospital in Islamabad confirmed the diagnosis.
Safdar noted that Khan appeared distressed during their meeting, with watery eyes throughout the conversation. The report warned that any further delay in treatment could pose serious risks and recommended an immediate independent examination by specialist ophthalmologists, including his personal doctors.
Following the submission, the Supreme Court directed authorities to form a medical board to examine Khan and ordered that he be allowed to speak by phone with his sons, who live in the United Kingdom. The court asked that both steps be completed before February 16, with Chief Justice Yahya Afridi stressing that Khan’s health required urgent attention.
Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed deep concern over his deteriorating eyesight and criticised prison authorities. The party said it may pursue legal action against officials and demanded unrestricted access to his personal physicians, transfer to a reputable hospital for specialised treatment, and restoration of full family visitation rights.
Khan, a former cricket captain who led Pakistan to a World Cup victory, served as prime minister from 2018 until he was removed in a no-confidence vote in 2022. He has been jailed since August 2023 on multiple charges, which his party describes as politically motivated.
Safdar’s report also stated that Khan has been held in solitary confinement for about two years and four months and has had limited access to his legal team and family members. In June 2024, a United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said his detention lacked legal basis and appeared aimed at barring him from political office.
The case has further intensified political tensions in Pakistan, with analysts calling for transparency regarding the former prime minister’s health and prison conditions.
With inputs from ALJAZEERA