Islamabad (Pakistan)

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has approached the Supreme Court seeking immediate medical intervention for its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, requesting that he be shifted to a private medical facility and allowed access to his personal medical team, Dawn reported on Wednesday.

The application, filed by legal counsel Sardar Latif Khosa, highlighted concerns regarding the health of the 73-year-old former Prime Minister, who is currently battling a serious eye condition while in judicial custody.

According to Dawn, the plea urged the apex court to ensure that the former premier be "immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad for proper treatment of his eyes from [a] retina specialist". The petition stated that although a state-selected hospital in Rawalpindi was used for recent medical checks, the family's preferred facility in Islamabad houses the necessary specialists.

The legal team also sought the involvement of Khan's personal physicians, Faisal Sultan and Aasim Yusuf, "who may be associated with all the procedures of examination and treatment".

As per the Dawn report, the application raised reservations about Khan's "advancing age and declining health", describing the matter as one of grave concern for both his family and the people of Pakistan. Khosa argued that the exclusion of independent doctors and family members during recent medical visits had created apprehensions regarding transparency.

Referring to the February 24 hospital visit, the petition stated that "the conduct of a medical examination in secrecy, without notice to the family or independent doctors, has given rise to serious apprehensions".

Dawn reported that the PTI counsel described the lack of information about the outcome of procedures at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) as "mindboggling and not acceptable on any hypothesis". The lawyer also challenged government claims that family members had voluntarily stayed away, asserting that Khan's sisters were denied access.

The application further requested that the legal team be kept informed through official channels, seeking that the lawyer be "granted reasonable access to his client for updated instruction for his effective representation before this Honourable court".

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According to Dawn, the petition maintained that reliance on a state-run hospital that reportedly lacks a retina specialist, along with the "continued exclusion of the Petitioner's family and personal medical practitioners from information concerning his health, has created unavoidable doubts".

The medical issue concerns right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), first reported in late January. Dawn cited recent medical reports stating that Khan's vision in the right eye was measured at 6/24 partial without aid.

While the government has maintained that the PTI founder is "clinically stable," the opposition has continued to allege a lack of transparency and denial of appropriate care, leading to the legal move.