Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party demanded immediate access to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday after he was taken overnight to a government hospital for eye treatment and returned to prison, Al Jazeera’s Abid Hussain reported.

Khan, 74, was transferred from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. The hospital said his examination was conducted on the advice of his ophthalmologist and that he received another injection in his right eye.

Khan has been receiving intravitreal injections for central retinal vein occlusion, a condition diagnosed after he reported reduced vision. His first injection was administered in January, according to Al Jazeera.

The hospital said his vital signs and general physical examination were normal and that he was clinically stable. He was discharged at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday with instructions for further care and follow-up.

PTI said the overnight transfer and return to jail raised “deeply troubling questions” about Khan’s health, the quality of his treatment and transparency surrounding his condition. It demanded immediate, unrestricted access for his family, personal doctors and legal team.

“A human being’s health is not a political bargaining chip,” the party said, adding that the state bore responsibility for his safety and wellbeing.

PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Al Jazeera that Khan’s family and personal doctors had not been informed about the hospital visit. He said the party learned about it through news reports and that neither relatives nor its personal physician attended.

At an Islamabad High Court hearing on Tuesday, Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar said Khan had reported improved eyesight, but that his blood pressure remained a concern. Safdar was representing Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in an appeal against their convictions in a property case.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters that Khan was receiving the necessary medical care and that his treatment was not being neglected.

Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple corruption charges. He denies wrongdoing and calls the cases politically motivated, an allegation the government rejects.

Al Jazeera also reported that the Supreme Court ordered in August that Khan be moved to a private hospital of his choice in Islamabad. Instead, he was taken to PIMS and returned to jail.

Sources