IHC Rejects Imran Khan Hospital Transfer Petition

ISLAMABAD: (Web Desk) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday rejected a petition seeking the transfer of Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for specialized eye treatment. Instead, the bench ordered the formation of a new medical board to examine the former prime minister.

The verdict was delivered by a two-judge bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Sumroo, directing authorities to keep Imran Khan’s family informed according to jail regulations. The court also allowed PTI lawyers to meet him and instructed medical board member Dr. Nadeem Qureshi to maintain contact with the family regarding his treatment.

IHC Petition Demands Imran Khan Be Shifted to Hospital

The petition, filed on March 2 under Section 561-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) by senior counsel Sardar Latif Khosa, highlighted concerns that jail authorities were conducting medical examinations in secrecy and sought access for Imran Khan’s personal physicians. It claimed the 73-year-old former prime minister, imprisoned since August 2023, had suffered a reduction of vision to approximately 15 percent in his right eye due to inadequate medical care.

The plea cited a report submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan by Barrister Salman Safdar, confirming that repeated complaints of “blurred and hazardous vision” were not addressed in time, resulting in significant vision loss.

Imran Khan’s health concerns, including a diagnosis of right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), have been raised by his family and party since late January. Following an SC intervention, a lawyer reported that he had partial vision of 6/9 in the affected eye with corrective glasses.

On March 3, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) confirmed that a follow-up eye examination at Adiala Jail indicated “remarkable improvement” in Imran Khan’s vision.