ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senator Rana Sanaullah has said that any deliberate delay or denial of medical treatment to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan would amount to criminal negligence and could not be defended.
Addressing the Senate, the prime minister’s adviser on political and public affairs responded to opposition concerns regarding Khan’s reported eye condition. He noted that the matter had already been clarified before the Supreme Court and urged political actors not to turn health issues into a political contest.
His remarks followed claims in a medical report submitted to the apex court stating that Khan’s vision in his right eye had declined to 15 percent. The seven-page document was filed by PTI counsel Salman Safdar after a three-hour meeting with the former prime minister at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Sanaullah rejected assertions that Khan had been complaining about the issue for four months without receiving care. He told the House that the first complaint regarding the eye was raised in the first week of January. According to him, jail doctors immediately prescribed eye drops, which were used for several days.
He said Khan was examined on January 16, followed by further tests conducted by a medical team on January 19. An injection was administered on January 24, and all steps were documented in official records. The senator offered to share the complete medical record with the leader of the opposition if needed.
Sanaullah added that the PTI founder was routinely examined by jail doctors every second day and had been evaluated by external specialists on 25 occasions. He pointed out that during a medical board meeting on December 9, as well as during a meeting with his sister on December 2, no complaint regarding eyesight was mentioned.
He maintained that once the issue was raised in January, medical attention was provided without delay. Portraying the matter as a prolonged lapse, he argued, was politically motivated. He also said no request had been filed before the Supreme Court seeking Khan’s transfer to a private hospital, though the government had assured the court that he could be examined by any doctor of his choice.
Separately, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking to reporters at an anti-terrorism court in Lahore, expressed sorrow over Khan’s health condition. He stressed that prisoners are entitled to legal and constitutional rights, including access to medical care.
Qureshi claimed that PTI leaders Mehmood ur Rasheed and Yasmin Rashid were unable to receive treatment due to a lack of security arrangements. Referring to his own condition, he said he was undergoing treatment at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre but had not been transported there because police security was unavailable.
He held the Punjab government responsible for the situation and warned that if Khan were to lose his eyesight, accountability would lie with the jail administration and authorities. Qureshi added that he hoped for calm in the country and an end to escalating political tensions.
