Pakistan’s PTI demands access to jailed Khan after overnight hospital visit

What the report says

Pakistan’s main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is pressing authorities for direct access to its jailed founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan, after he was taken from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to a government hospital in Islamabad for an overnight medical visit and then returned to prison. The report says the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said the 74-year-old was examined on the advice of his eye specialist and received another injection as part of treatment for a retinal condition affecting his right eye.

According to PIMS, Khan’s vital signs were normal, his condition was stable and he was discharged in the early hours of Wednesday with follow-up instructions. Al Jazeera reports that Khan has been receiving treatment for central retinal vein occlusion after complaining of reduced vision, and that he first received an injection in January.

PTI said the visit raised serious questions about Khan’s health care and the transparency of his treatment, and it asked that his family, personal doctors and legal team be allowed immediate access. A PTI official told Al Jazeera the party learned of the hospital transfer from news reports, rather than from prison or medical authorities.

Khan has been detained since August 2023 on multiple corruption charges he denies. The government says his care has not been neglected. The case remains politically significant in Pakistan, where Khan’s detention and treatment continue to draw scrutiny from supporters and opponents alike.