Shah Mahmood Qureshi taken to Lahore cardiology institute after a fall in jail

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a former foreign minister, was taken to a Lahore hospital on Tuesday, days after he fainted and fell in jail. His lawyer, Rana Mudassar Umar, told Dawn that Mr Qureshi, who is held at Kot Lakhpat jail, was brought to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and would be observed for 24 hours, after which doctors would decide whether to admit him.

What the lawyer said

Mr Umar said Mr Qureshi had fainted and fallen a few days ago. The legal team had filed an application in the anti-terrorism court (ATC), but “due to holidays, the issue was delayed”. He did not say what tests were being done at the PIC, and the prison authorities had not issued a public statement on the fall at the time of the report.

What the family and party say

Mr Qureshi’s daughter, Meher Bano, wrote on X last week that she had learned of her father’s fall from family members who met him in jail. She described him as having been sent to jail “on trumped up charges” and said he had been acquitted several times yet remained in custody because of the government’s “malafide”. That is her allegation, and the government has not responded to it in the reports we have seen.

His son Zain said after meeting him that Mr Qureshi told him he collapsed while walking inside his barracks. Zain asked prison authorities to arrange a CT scan at once so his condition could be properly assessed, and to take his father to a qualified dentist for a cracked tooth.

On November 6, the PTI’s core committee voiced concern about the fall and its effect on his health. It asked the courts, the government and the prison administration to move him to a hospital right away and make sure he gets a full examination and the treatment he needs.

Who he is and where his cases stand

Mr Qureshi has been behind bars since August 2023. He has been indicted in several cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots. In July 2024, an ATC in Lahore indicted him in a case registered by Shadman police over the alleged attack on and burning of a police station. He has been named in more than one case, and the PTI says he has been acquitted in some of them while remaining in custody; we have not independently verified the number of acquittals.

His recent health history is also part of the picture. In December last year he had his gallbladder removed at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute. Before that, one May, he was taken to the PIC after complaining of heart pain, so the PIC is not new to him.

Date	Event
August 2023	Jailed in cases linked to the May 9 riots
July 2024	Indicted by a Lahore ATC in the Shadman police station case
A May before December last year	Taken to the PIC after complaining of heart pain
December last year	Gallbladder removed at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute
Early November 2026	Faints and falls in Kot Lakhpat jail, according to his family and lawyer
November 6	PTI core committee demands hospital transfer
November 10	Taken to the PIC, observation for 24 hours

Why it matters

The health of detained leaders is now a regular point of dispute between the PTI and the government. The party also raised concerns about its founder’s blood pressure this month, as we reported on the core committee’s demand for his hospital treatment. Both sides agree on one thing: a prisoner who has fainted needs a proper examination, and the 24-hour observation period at a specialist cardiac hospital will show how serious the episode was.

For readers, the questions are simple. Was he examined promptly after the fall? Were tests such as a CT scan carried out? And will the court that has his cases give directions on his care?

What we do not know

• The exact date and cause of the fall.
• The results of any tests done at the PIC.
• Whether doctors will admit him after the 24-hour period.
• Whether the prison authorities or Punjab’s home department will respond publicly to the family’s claims.

What to watch is the hospital’s decision at the end of the observation period, any order from the ATC on his medical care, and the next hearing date in his cases.