Mystery shrouds Imran Khan's second eye injection as PTI demands transparency

ISLAMABAD: Conflicting claims over the second eye injection administered to former prime minister Imran Khan have sparked fresh controversy, with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demanding transparency and a transfer to a private hospital, while the government insists all procedures were carried out lawfully and transparently.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said he was informed through a message around 2am that the party founder had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for an injection in his right eye. He expressed concern over the lack of prior notice and reiterated the party’s demand that Imran Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for a comprehensive medical examination in the presence of his personal doctors and family members.

Barrister Gohar stressed the need for proper medical care and transparency regarding the former premier’s health, maintaining that the party’s stance on shifting him to a private facility remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, official statements and media reports said Imran Khan was transported from Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, to PIMS under strict security arrangements, where he received a follow-up anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as part of his ongoing eye treatment.

According to a statement issued by the Executive Director of PIMS, a board of specialists examined Imran Khan prior to the procedure and declared him clinically stable. A consultant cardiologist conducted echocardiography and an electrocardiogram (ECG), both of which showed normal results.

After informed consent was obtained, the second dose of the intravitreal anti-VEGF injection was administered under microscopic guidance by a consultant ophthalmologist and a consultant vitreoretinal surgeon from PIMS and Al-Shifa Eye Hospital. The procedure was carried out as a day-care surgery.

The statement added that Imran Khan remained vitally stable before, during, and after the procedure. He was later discharged with follow-up instructions and shifted back to Adiala Jail after receiving medical clearance.

Separately, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said the PTI founder was scheduled to receive his second injection on March 24 as part of his treatment plan. In a post on X, the minister said all legal and humanitarian requirements were fulfilled during the transfer and that doctors had reported improvement in his vision following the first procedure.

Dr Chaudhary maintained that providing medical facilities to prisoners in accordance with the law is a constitutional obligation, adding that all arrangements in this case were made transparently and in line with established procedures.