Gohar Visits Qureshi in Hospital After Jail Fall
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has visited the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore to check on senior party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was moved to hospital after collapsing in his jail barracks.
Gohar visited the hospital on Thursday, accompanied by Qureshi’s son, MNA Zain Qureshi. The former foreign minister remains in hospital for treatment after a fall that injured his knee and arm.
The Shah Mahmood Qureshi hospital visit comes as the party presses the courts, the government and the prison administration to ensure he receives a full medical examination and any treatment he needs.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi hospital stay: what we know
Qureshi was moved from Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology for medical examinations after becoming dizzy and collapsing while walking inside his barracks, according to party sources. He injured his knee and arm in the fall.
Jail authorities collected blood samples and sent them to Shaukat Khanum Hospital for testing. No results had been provided yet.
His lawyer, Rana Mudassar Umar, said Qureshi had fainted and fallen a few days earlier. He was kept under observation at the hospital before doctors decided to admit him for further examination and treatment.
An application has been submitted to the anti-terrorism court, but court holidays have delayed the matter. Zain Qureshi has called on prison authorities to arrange a CT scan to assess his father’s condition and to take him to a dentist for treatment of a cracked tooth.
A history of health scares in custody
This is not the first time Qureshi’s health has caused concern in custody. He was taken to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in May 2025 after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. He underwent a procedure to remove his gallbladder at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute in December 2025.
Qureshi has been in custody since August 2023 and has been indicted in several cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots. In July 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court indicted him in a case registered by Shadman police over an alleged attack on and burning of a police station.
His daughter, Meher Bano, said last week that she had learnt of his fall from relatives who met him in jail. She has called for his release and alleged he is being held on false charges.
The PTI core committee expressed concern about Qureshi’s fall at a meeting held last week. It called on the courts, the government and the prison administration to ensure his transfer to hospital, a full medical examination and any necessary treatment.
A day of releases from the same jail
Qureshi’s hospitalisation came on the same day that two other detainees left Kot Lakhpat jail. Imran Khan’s sisters Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were released after 50 days in detention, after their detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance were withdrawn. Their sister Aleema Khan remains in custody.
Imran Khan himself was taken from Adiala jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences overnight on November 10 and 11 for eye treatment, and met his lawyers at the jail on Wednesday. During the meeting, senior counsel Sardar Latif Khosa said the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment had been discussed, but did not disclose Imran’s position on it.
The timing has sharpened attention on the health of PTI’s detained leaders, and on how the prison authorities handle medical emergencies. The party has been pressing for a de-escalation with the establishment, a call echoed by Rana Sanaullah this week.
Why it matters
Qureshi, 70, is one of the PTI’s most senior figures, a former foreign minister who has been in custody for more than three years. A fall in a jail barracks, a cracked tooth, a wait for test results and a delayed court application together raise a practical question: whether the medical care available to a detained politician matches the treatment he would receive outside.
His family and party are treating the episode as a test of that question. The hospital’s findings, and the court’s response to the pending application, will decide how the matter develops.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Shah Mahmood Qureshi in hospital?
He was moved from Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore after becoming dizzy and collapsing while walking in his barracks. He injured his knee and arm, and blood samples were sent to Shaukat Khanum Hospital for testing.
Who visited him?
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan visited him on Thursday, accompanied by Qureshi’s son, MNA Zain Qureshi.
How long has Qureshi been in custody?
He has been in custody since August 2023 and has been indicted in several cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots. He was previously taken to the same hospital in May 2025 for chest pain, and had his gallbladder removed in December 2025.
