Imran Khan Vision Almost Normal Ahead of SC Hearing

Pakistan‘s Supreme Court was informed on Monday that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan‘s vision has improved significantly following treatment for an eye condition. The medical update comes a day before the top court is scheduled to hear Khan’s plea seeking treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital.

According to a report submitted by authorities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Khan’s vision has returned to “almost normal” after he received treatment from specialists. The prison authorities have cited the improvement as evidence that appropriate medical care has been provided to the 73-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Khan’s petition on August 18. A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Wahid, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, will take up the matter.

What is Imran Khan’s Supreme Court plea about?

Khan has sought permission for treatment at Shifa International, a leading private medical facility in Islamabad. His plea comes after an eye condition affecting his right eye was identified earlier this year.

The latest medical report submitted by the Adiala jail authorities could complicate Khan’s request for treatment at a private hospital because it states that his condition has improved substantially under the care he has already received.

The prison authorities have asked the Supreme Court to dispose of Khan’s petition, arguing that it lacks merit in view of the medical treatment and facilities provided to him.

However, the report itself is the account of the jail authorities. The supplied material does not include an independent medical assessment commissioned by the Supreme Court or a separate opinion from Khan’s legal team disputing the prison report.

Khan’s eye condition and treatment

Khan’s eye ailment, identified as right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), came to light in late January, according to the supplied report.

Following the diagnosis, he was taken several times to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad for treatment.

The Adiala jail report said Khan was treated at PIMS by the hospital’s head of ophthalmology, Dr Muhammad Arif Khan. It also said he received treatment from Dr Nadeem Qureshi, a vitreo-retinal surgeon at Alshifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.

According to the prison authorities, the involvement of the specialists resulted in significant improvement in Khan’s eye condition.

The report stated that “significant improvement” had been observed and that his vision had returned to almost normal.

Jail authorities say Khan received proper healthcare

The medical update was accompanied by a broader defence of the Healthcare arrangements provided to Khan during his imprisonment.

Adiala jail authorities said Khan had been treated properly since his eye condition first surfaced. They said medical officers visited him three times a day to monitor his meals and record vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.

The authorities also said Khan’s medical record had been maintained throughout his imprisonment.

According to the report, several medical consultants and specialists from different medical facilities had visited Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for medical check-ups. The jail authorities said both were being provided adequate healthcare facilities.

The report described the Health and well-being of Khan and Bibi as a priority for the jail administration.

What the jail report says about Bushra Bibi

The report submitted to the Supreme Court also mentioned Khan’s meetings with Bushra Bibi, WHO is imprisoned at the same facility.

According to the authorities, meetings between the two take place every Tuesday. The jail report said 84 such meetings had been recorded so far.

The reference to these meetings forms part of the prison administration’s broader account of the facilities and arrangements being provided to the jailed couple.

The supplied material does not provide further details about Bushra Bibi’s medical condition or the Nature of the medical consultations mentioned in the report.

Why the medical report matters to Khan’s plea

The timing of the prison authorities’ report is significant because it was submitted shortly before the Supreme Court hearing on Khan’s request for treatment at Shifa International.

If the court accepts the prison administration’s assessment that Khan’s condition has improved substantially and that appropriate specialists have already treated him, it could affect the argument for transferring him to a private hospital.

The jail authorities have specifically relied on the reported improvement to argue that their administration made extensive efforts to provide Khan with appropriate healthcare.

They have therefore asked the Supreme Court to reject or dispose of his petition, describing it as without merit.

Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023

Khan has remained incarcerated since August 5, 2023, when he was arrested from his residence in Lahore after being convicted in a corruption case.

The former prime minister has since remained a prominent figure in Pakistan’s political landscape, with his legal cases and imprisonment continuing to attract considerable attention.

His latest legal challenge before the Supreme Court concerns his medical treatment rather than the broader circumstances of his imprisonment.

The case puts the court in the position of examining the medical information presented by the prison authorities alongside Khan’s request for treatment at a private facility.

What the Supreme Court will consider

The three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Shahid Wahid is scheduled to hear Khan’s petition on August 18. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim are also part of the bench.

The court will have before it the report from Adiala jail authorities detailing Khan’s treatment, medical monitoring and reported improvement in his vision.

The central issue is whether the information presented by the prison authorities is sufficient to address Khan’s request for treatment at Shifa International or whether the circumstances warrant additional medical arrangements.

The supplied material does not indicate what decision the Supreme Court is expected to make or whether Khan’s legal team has submitted a separate medical assessment supporting his request.

Prison authorities reject the need for further relief

The Adiala jail authorities have taken a clear position on Khan’s petition. They said the medical intervention he received and the improvement in his vision demonstrated that the administration had made “all-out efforts” to provide him with the best healthcare facilities.

On that basis, they asked the Supreme Court to dispose of the plea.

The report’s conclusion could become a key part of the government’s response when the petition comes before the bench. The court will ultimately determine whether the medical information and other circumstances justify the relief sought by Khan.

What happens next?

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Imran Khan’s treatment plea on August 18. Until then, the latest medical assessment available in the case is the report filed by the Adiala jail authorities, which says his vision has returned to almost normal.

The report also says Khan has received treatment from ophthalmology and vitreo-retinal specialists and has been subject to regular medical monitoring while in prison.

For Khan, the key question remains whether the Supreme Court will allow his request for treatment at Shifa International despite the prison authorities’ claim that his condition has improved significantly.

The court’s decision will determine the immediate course of his medical treatment. For now, however, the available information establishes only that the jail authorities have reported substantial improvement; it does not independently resolve the broader medical or legal dispute surrounding Khan’s treatment request.

With PTI Inputs