PTI raises alarm over Imran Khan's health and asks CJP to act

The core committee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday expressed “grave concern” about the health of its jailed founder, Imran Khan, and asked the chief justice of Pakistan to make sure court orders on his treatment are carried out. The party’s meeting, which ran late into the night, followed reports that his blood pressure had recently surged to 192.

What the committee said and demanded

According to the statement issued afterwards, the committee heard about Imran’s recent meeting with his lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, and called the reports of high blood pressure “extremely alarming”. It blamed what it called a lack of medical facilities and obstacles to meetings with family and his own doctors.

The committee asked for three things from the government:

1. “immediate, unhindered and effective access” to Imran for his personal physicians;
2. all necessary medical examinations and tests without delay;
3. his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for a complete evaluation and treatment.

It said any more delay would be “unacceptable” and asked for his health to be treated as “a serious humanitarian and medical emergency” and not only a political or legal dispute. It also urged Pakistanis at home and abroad to raise their voices, and told PTI lawmakers to take up the matter in parliament and the provincial assemblies.

The party raised a second case as well: it asked for jailed PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi to be moved to a hospital for a full check-up after what it described as a fall in prison and its effect on his health.

Court developments the same day

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard a petition from members of the National Dialogue Committee, among them former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, Mahmood Baqi Molvi and Barrister Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, who want to be allowed to meet Imran in jail. Justice Umair Majeed Malik observed that a mechanism for jail visits has already been set up and said future requests would be handled under it. He also asked on what legal basis the petitioners claimed a right to such a meeting. Their lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, said they would keep to the procedures laid down by the court and would make no media statements after a visit.

The background

Imran has been in prison since August 2023. According to the Dawn report, his health has worsened over that time. An eye condition, right central retinal vein occlusion, became known in late January, and he has been taken to hospital several times since.

On August 18 the Supreme Court told the government to move him to Shifa International Hospital, a day after the Adiala jail superintendent gave the court a report on his health. The jail administration’s report said adequate healthcare was being provided to Imran and his wife. An attachment to the report said a doctor at Pims had examined him on August 1 for uncontrolled and fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache and restlessness, which he partly blamed on infrequent meetings with family and the lack of newspapers and television. On August 10 a medical board of Pims specialists examined him for heaviness in the head and palpitations and advised a daily one-hour walk, relaxation, and access to newspapers, magazines, television and books.

We have reported on how little access there has been: Safdar met Imran and Bushra Bibi for 40 minutes after seven months, and the IHC will hear their appeals in the £190m case on November 10.

What we know and what we don’t

• Known: the PTI core committee has made its demands public, and it has appealed to the chief justice.
• Known: the Supreme Court’s August order and the jail’s account of the care provided are on record.
• Not confirmed: the blood pressure reading of 192 comes from reports the committee cited. The reports did not say who measured it, and we have not seen a statement from the jail administration or the government on it.
• Open: whether Imran will be shifted to Shifa, and what the chief justice will do.

Why it matters

Imran’s health has become a legal and political issue at once. A jailed prisoner’s right to treatment is not in dispute; what is disputed is how far the orders already issued have been followed. The Supreme Court has ruled once, and the party is asking it to enforce its own ruling, which puts the question in the hands of the judiciary and the government rather than the party. Watch for any response from the government or the jail, a hearing on the treatment orders, and the November 10 appeal hearing.