By Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was transferred under tight security to a government hospital in Islamabad late Monday night for a scheduled eye procedure, only to be returned to Adiala Jail hours later, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The development comes as his family and political party escalate accusations of medical negligence, rejecting official reports and demanding transparency in his treatment.

According to an official press release from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Mr. Khan, 74, was brought to the hospital on February 24, 2026, to receive the second dose of an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection for an ongoing eye condition. 

The hospital stated that he was examined by a board of specialists, including a cardiologist who performed an echocardiography and ECG, both of which were reported as normal. The procedure was conducted in an operating theatre under microscopy by consultant ophthalmologists from PIMS and Al-Shifa Eye Hospital. Officials declared the former prime minister "clinically stable" throughout the procedure, and he was discharged the same day with follow-up advice.

However, the government's account was immediately met with fierce opposition from Mr. Khan's family. His sister, Aleema Khan said that the family "REJECT[s] any medical reports drawn up as a result of examinations conducted in the absence of Imran Khan’s personal physicians and family members."

She revealed that the family had formally requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Yahya Afridi, to ensure Mr. Khan be examined and treated at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad by specialist doctors, under the supervision of his personal physicians and in the presence of family members.

"It is extremely unfortunate that Chief Justice Yahya Afridi expressed satisfaction with the doctors’ visit to Adiala Jail and completely disregarded the family’s lawful and legitimate demands," Ms. Khan wrote on X, adding, "What are they hiding?"

Her concerns were echoed by another sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, a medical doctor, who also rejected all government medical reports and reiterated the demand for a check-up in the presence of his personal physicians.

- Previous Eye issue and alleged negligence

The current health scare is the latest chapter in an ongoing controversy surrounding Mr. Khan's vision. According to a report submitted to the Supreme Court earlier this month by PTI lawyer Salman Safdar, Mr. Khan has lost approximately 85% of the vision in his right eye.

The report, based on a meeting with the incarcerated leader, detailed that Mr. Khan had normal 6/6 vision until October 2025. He began experiencing blurred vision shortly after, but was allegedly only given eye drops by jail authorities for nearly three months. He reportedly suffered an abrupt and complete loss of vision in the eye, later diagnosed as being caused by a blood clot.

Mr. Khan’s legal team has argued that this deterioration was a direct result of delayed and inadequate medical attention while in custody. The issue prompted the Supreme Court to form a medical panel, which previously reported an improvement in his vision from 6/36 to 6/9, a finding the family and party have consistently disputed.

The health concerns have ignited a fresh wave of political protests across Pakistan. The opposition alliance, Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), which includes Mr. Khan’s PTI party, recently held a days-long sit-in at Parliament House, demanding proper medical examination and treatment for their leader. Those protests were only recently called off in deference to the holy month of Ramazan.

The PTI has also announced the formation of an "Imran Khan Release Force," a nationwide mobilization campaign aimed at securing the former prime minister's release, whom they view as a political prisoner. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi described it as a "completely peaceful struggle" for the "supremacy of the constitution and law".

As the political temperature rises, the government has yet to respond to the family's allegations of a cover-up, leaving the nation divided over whether the former prime minister is receiving adequate medical care or being subjected to further political victimization