ISLAMABAD: PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said on Friday that the family of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan would be provided a copy of his medical report, following day-long sit-ins by the party outside the Supreme Court and Adiala jail.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad, Raja said the protests were aimed at facilitating a meeting between Imran Khan and his personal physicians. The sit-in was joined by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, along with PTI lawmakers and workers.
The development comes a day after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Imran underwent a brief medical procedure for an eye ailment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on the night of January 24.
Raja said the party had been outside the Supreme Court premises all day and had also staged a sit-in outside Adiala jail the previous night. “There is nothing more important for us than Imran Khan sahib’s health,” he said, adding that reports circulating about the former premier’s condition were “unsatisfactory”.
He alleged that Imran was taken to hospital without his family’s knowledge and that contradictory statements were issued afterwards. Raja said discussions were held throughout the day with the chief justice of Pakistan, court officials and the attorney general, but the outcome remained disappointing.
“It has been conveyed that Imran Khan’s medical reports — including the diagnosis at jail and details of the treatment at Pims — will be handed to him in a sealed envelope, and a copy will be given to his family today,” Raja said, adding that the family would then decide whether the treatment being provided was adequate.
He stressed that while receiving the medical report was essential, the “real issue” was Imran Khan’s arrest, which he termed wrongful. Raja said the party would continue protesting for visitation rights and that PTI’s political committee would decide the future course of action after consulting opposition leaders in both houses of parliament.
Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said every citizen had fundamental constitutional rights, adding that obstructing those rights amounted to oppression. He termed Imran’s incarceration and medical treatment “illegal, unconstitutional and inhumane”.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the sit-ins were solely meant to ensure a meeting between Imran Khan and his personal doctors, clarifying that no political discussions were involved. He said the nation was concerned about the health of its “most popular leader” and warned that the party would announce its next steps if its efforts failed.
Earlier, PTI leaders Salman Akram Raja and Sardar Latif Khosa met the Supreme Court registrar and the attorney general, requesting access to Imran’s medical report. Khosa claimed the eye procedure took much longer than officially stated and said Imran’s health was PTI’s “red line”.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said secrecy surrounding Imran’s treatment was “a cancer to democracy” and demanded that doctors from Shaukat Khanum Hospital be allowed to examine him. Party leader Babar Awan warned of “grave consequences” if the medical report was not made public, saying party workers and supporters were deeply anxious about the former prime minister’s health.
