PNN: A medical board examining jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has reported an improvement in his eyesight and did not recommend shifting him to a hospital, according to a medical report obtained by The Express Tribune.
The report said Khan’s vision in his right eye has improved from 6/36 to 6/9, while his left eye has 6/6 vision with the use of glasses. The assessment was carried out by a board comprising Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif, following a detailed examination at Adiala Jail.
According to the report, the anterior segment of both eyes is normal and the cornea is clear. It noted mild intragel haemorrhage at the edge of the right eye and moderate retinal haemorrhage in all four quadrants.
Swelling in the macula of the right eye is subsiding, with macular thickness reduced from 550 to 350 microns. The board outlined ongoing medication and treatment and recommended OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completion of anti-VEGF therapy, the report added, while no recommendation was made for Khan’s transfer to a hospital.
Following the medical assessment, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were briefed on Khan’s condition during a session at PIMS. Khan’s personal physicians, Dr Asim Yousuf and Dr Khurram Mirza, were also informed via a phone call and expressed satisfaction with the ongoing treatment.
Separately, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Monday that Khan has normal 6/6 vision in one eye, while the other eye achieves about 70% vision with glasses. Speaking at a lawyers’ event in Ferozewala, he said the specialist medical team had expressed satisfaction with the treatment being provided and had also briefed opposition leaders and Khan’s personal doctors.
Tarar’s remarks came after earlier submissions to the Supreme Court of Pakistan suggested that Khan’s eyesight had deteriorated significantly. The court had directed authorities to submit a detailed medical report on Khan’s health by February 16.
Speaking to media
Parliamentary Secretary Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry stated on Monday that sending former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan abroad, or his getting bail, unless there is a life-threatening illness with legal evidence to support it, is not possible.
Speaking to the media, Chaudhry said the provision in the Qanun-e-Shahadat (Law of Evidence) is very clear. “Bail and the permission to go abroad are only applicable if you have a life-threatening disease. If there is no life-threatening disease, or if the condition is not worsening, as the family claims it has already happened, then it’s a different matter,” he said, adding that the government supports providing whatever medical facilities or support are required here.
Such a move could disrupt law and order, the parliamentary secretary noted. “A convict will not be allowed to disrupt the law and order of the country. They have already backtracked on their commitments before,” Chaudhry said, adding that the situation could be reconsidered “if they fulfill their commitments, if they stop talking about destabilising Pakistan, stop talking about ‘setting Pakistan on fire,’ or shutting the country down, if they avoid these types of political statements”.
Regarding Imran’s treatment, Chaudhry said all necessary medical care is available and will continue to be provided. “Facilitation has been provided and will continue to be provided. We have said it before and we will say it again, the medical facilities that he needs, he will get,” he stated, noting that the government is taking the matter very seriously.
The parliamentary secretary rejected what he termed propaganda regarding the PTI founder, calling it false. The talk of malnutrition and other claims have proven to be false, according to Chaudhry, who emphasised that all facilities are available to him in jail. “Whatever they [the medical board] recommend, there is no second opinion on that,” he said.
Paid propaganda by the founder’s supporters is circulating on social media, he added, with those seeking deals or leniency doing so from day one and always looking for excuses.
Regarding the sit-in, the parliamentary secretary termed it nothing other than politics, adding that they should resolve things amicably. Apart from sit-ins and protests, they have no priorities and do nothing for the country or politics, according to Chaudhry.
The government is ready for dialogue, but only through parliamentary channels, Chaudhry stated, adding that any discussions regarding the PTI founder were conducted through such channels. Blackmail will not be accepted, he said. “If they continue doing this, they will not get relief.”
Meanwhile, speaking to The Express Tribune on the fourth day of the opposition’s sit-in outside Parliament House, Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, said the protests will continue until their demands are met.
Gohar added that they demanded that Imran’s health not be treated as a political issue. “He should be given the best facilities. This is the problem of every Pakistani,” he said. The PTI chairman said they demanded that Imran be treated at a hospital suggested by the family and his personal physician. “His treatment should be under their supervision so that the case is found out. How did this clot occur? All of a sudden, in three months, how did this eye deteriorate?” Gohar questioned.
Gohar said they received notice that doctors had visited Khan and a report may have been filed. “That report will be filed in the Supreme Court. When we see the report, we will see their contents,” he said, adding that they want Imran’s neurologist to meet him and conduct a personal examination before the family is satisfied.
The PTI chairman also claimed that on the first day of the protest, all doors were closed and they were not provided breakfast, water, or food. “Today, four days later, I brushed my teeth. We had to survive on dry bread,” he said.