ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was moved on Monday with a plea seeking the immediate shifting of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for specialised eye treatment, alleging that jail authorities have been conducting medical examinations in complete secrecy.
A similar plea had earlier been submitted to the Supreme Court on February 25, after Mr Khan underwent a government-facilitated follow-up treatment for his eye ailment.
Monday’s criminal miscellaneous application was filed under Section 561-A of the CrPC by senior counsel Sardar Latif Khosa.
The petition stated that Mr Khan — now 73 years old and incarcerated since August 2023 — has been left with only approximately 15 per cent vision in his right eye.
The application cited a report submitted to the SC by amicus curiae Barrister Salman Safdar, which confirmed that despite the petitioner’s repeated complaints of “blurred and hazardous vision”, no timely or adequate medical intervention was undertaken by jail authorities, ultimately resulting in complete loss of vision in one eye.
Petition alleges jail authorities conducted medical examinations in secret
The petition also expressed alarm over a medical check-up conducted inside Central Jail, Rawalpindi, on February 15, which was carried out in the complete absence of Mr Khan’s family members, personal doctors, or legal representatives. It maintained that no prior intimation was given to them regarding the examination.
The PTI founder was subsequently taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on February 23 for further procedures, once again excluding his personal physicians, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yousaf, as well as his family members and lawyers.
“Nothing is known regarding the outcome of the petitioner’s medical examination and/or procedures conducted at Pims hospital. Such secrecy is mind-boggling and not acceptable on any hypothesis,” the application stated.
The petition noted that authorities’ continued insistence on treating Mr Khan at Pims, where no retina specialist were available , coupled with the persistent exclusion of his family and personal doctors from information concerning his health, “has created unavoidable doubts.”
It further alleged that Mr Khan’s family has been denied access for the past four to five months, despite jail rules permitting such meetings. When his sisters approached authorities, they were turned away, the application claimed.
The matter had initially come before the SC, which, through an order dated February 12, 2026, adjourned the petitions sine die and directed that if the petitioner had any grievance, “the appropriate course would be to first approach the high court, where his appeal is pending.”
Following these directions, the present application has been filed in the IHC, where Mr Khan’s appeal against his trial court conviction remains pending. The petition also seeks permission for his personal physicians, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yousaf, to be involved in all procedures related to his examination and treatment.
Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2026
