Gohar Sounds Alarm Over Imran Khan’s Health
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Friday urged the Supreme Court to take up an application seeking implementation of its August 18 order on the medical treatment of party founder Imran Khan, saying the reports on Imran Khan’s health were not encouraging and had caused concern across the country.
Gohar said the party had also sought an early hearing of the matter, stressing that there should be no compromise on Imran’s health. He said the August 18 order had directed that the former prime minister be shifted for treatment and that a medical board be formed to oversee his care.
“The reports concerning the PTI founder’s health are not encouraging, and the entire nation is worried,” he told reporters outside Parliament House in Islamabad. He added that the party had received instructions from Imran after his lawyer Salman Safdar met him, and that decisions should be taken on his transfer to hospital and medical treatment.
Early hearing plea before the Supreme Court
Yousafzai, one of the petitioners who had asked the court to order Imran’s transfer from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital, said the matter had become urgent because the party founder remained in solitary confinement, with severely restricted access to his family and lawyers.
“His health is deteriorating, and the failure to provide the medical care and facilities already directed by this Honourable Court has given rise to serious concerns regarding his physical and mental well-being. In these circumstances, any further delay may have serious consequences for his health,” the application said.
“The delay in hearing the titled appeal is causing serious prejudice, particularly when the health and well-being of a citizen of Pakistan in custody are involved,” it said. Yousafzai further argued that any delay could defeat the purpose of the interim directions and cause irreparable harm to Imran.
Conflicting accounts of Imran Khan’s health
The alarm over Imran’s health follows reports that his blood pressure recently surged to 192, a claim the PTI has raised repeatedly in recent days. The party has demanded his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment by his personal doctors.
But the accounts of his condition differ. Salman Safdar, who met Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi at Adiala Jail on November 2, later distanced himself from the alarming reports, saying he was not their source. According to those reports, Imran had mentioned his blood pressure rising to around 190 on one occasion but was otherwise generally fit, with no sign of an immediate serious medical emergency. No independently verified medical assessment of his current condition has been published, and the government has not issued its own medical account.
The government has maintained that the former prime minister has received medical attention and that the relevant court orders have been complied with. The PTI disputes that, and its core committee has called the protection of Imran’s health an urgent humanitarian issue.
A case with a long history
Imran, 74, has been in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since his arrest in August 2023. His health has deteriorated over the course of his prison sentence, prompting repeated protests from his party.
His eye ailment, a right central retinal vein occlusion, came to light in late January, after which he was taken to hospital several times. On August 18, the Supreme Court directed the government to shift him to Shifa International Hospital, a day after the superintendent of Adiala Jail submitted a report to the court on his health. The PTI says that order has still not been carried out.
What happens next
Gohar also called for an end to the prevailing political tension, saying the situation should not be allowed to escalate further. “The practice of picking up members of the assemblies, party workers and supporters should stop,” he said. He also demanded the immediate release of Imran’s sisters. The party says family and lawyers face severe restrictions on access: Imran’s nephew was denied a meeting with him at Adiala Jail. Detention cases linked to the party are also moving through the courts, with the Peshawar High Court sending Afridi detention petitions to a larger bench.
The health case is not the only one before the courts. The Islamabad High Court has fixed November 10 for hearing the appeals of Imran and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case. The suspension of Article 199 petitions after the FCC order has added to the legal tangle around cases linked to the PTI, while Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha have also moved the Islamabad High Court against their convictions.
What did Gohar Ali Khan ask the Supreme Court to do?
He urged the court to take up the PTI’s application seeking implementation of its August 18 order, which directed that Imran Khan be shifted to hospital for treatment and that a medical board be formed to oversee his care. The party has also asked for an early hearing.
What does Mashal Yousafzai’s application say?
It says the matter is urgent because Imran remains in solitary confinement with severely restricted access to his family and lawyers, and that further delay may have serious consequences for his health. It notes the Supreme Court last heard the matter on September 16 and has not fixed it again since.
What is known about Imran Khan’s health?
Reports cited by the PTI say his blood pressure surged to 192, but the accounts differ. His lawyer Salman Safdar, who met him on November 2, later said he was not the source of the alarming reports and that Imran had mentioned a rise to around 190 on one occasion but was otherwise generally fit. No independently verified medical assessment has been published.
What did the Supreme Court order on August 18?
The court directed the federal government to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for medical treatment and to form a medical board to oversee his care. The PTI says the order has not been implemented.
