By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, on Tuesday attributed a three-day delay in the medical examination of former prime minister Imran Khan to his sister, Aleema Khan, amid growing political tensions over the jailed leader’s health.
Speaking at a press conference, Naqvi outlined the sequence of events that had unfolded during Khan’s recent eye check-up at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. According to the minister, a meeting had been held between the doctors assigned to examine Khan, his personal medical team, and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders.
Following the consultations, Naqvi said, the medical professionals had expressed satisfaction with the progress, describing it as “excellent” and noting that, had they been conducting the treatment themselves, the same course would have been followed. Political leaders present at the meeting reportedly also conveyed their approval and indicated they would communicate the findings to their supporters.
Despite this apparent consensus, Naqvi said Aleema Khan had urged party members not to accept the medical results, arguing that doing so could undermine the PTI’s political position. “Due to her, the medical check-up could not be conducted for three days,” he stated, adding that the issue might have been resolved sooner had there been greater cooperation.
Naqvi criticized what he described as a dual approach by the party: professing personal closeness to Khan while simultaneously politicising his health concerns. The minister’s remarks came in the wake of a medical report submitted to the Supreme Court confirming that Khan had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition that had left him with an estimated 85% loss of vision in his right eye.
The report noted that CRVO is often linked to older age and underlying cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, has become the center of mounting public concern.
Following the release of the report, PTI and allied opposition members launched a series of sit-ins outside Pakistan’s parliament and in other parts of the capital, demanding immediate access for Khan’s personal doctors. The protests, which entered their fifth day on Tuesday, reflected broader fears over the former prime minister’s wellbeing and intensified the already fraught political atmosphere in the country.
