ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced on Saturday that the government has decided to shift jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to a hospital for eye treatment.
Speaking to the media, Chaudhry stated that authorities have also decided to establish a medical board to oversee the former prime minister’s treatment. He added that the government had facilitated phone contact between Khan and his sons, allowing him to communicate with his family.
The minister urged all parties to refrain from politicising health matters, calling for “national seriousness and tolerance” instead of what he described as “baseless propaganda or political point-scoring.”
“Providing facilities to every prisoner in accordance with the law is the state’s responsibility,” Chaudhry emphasised, asserting that the government was fulfilling its obligations regarding Khan’s medical care.
Earlier on Saturday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi indicated that Khan may be shifted to the new Islamabad Model Jail once the facility becomes operational.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Thursday that all necessary medical facilities are being provided to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, urging the opposition not to politicise his health.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court directed authorities to constitute a medical board to examine Khan’s eyes and ordered that the examination be conducted before February 16.
Corruption cases
Imran Khan has been in custody since his arrest on May 9, 2023, by the National Accountability Bureau in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
In January 2025, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the case. Prosecutors claimed that Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, received land as a bribe from a real estate tycoon through the Al-Qadir Trust, which they had established while he was in office.
Investigators said Khan used £190 million ($232 million) repatriated by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency to settle the tycoon’s court fines.
Khan has also received a separate 14-year sentence in a case related to the sale of state gifts, and another 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets.
He faces numerous criminal cases, with some at the bail stage, others under trial and several at the appellate stage.
The government says it will comply fully with the Supreme Court’s directions regarding Khan’s medical examination.
