Imran’s vision has returned to ‘almost normal’ after treatment, Adiala SP tells SC

The report submitted by the Adiala jail superintendent of police (SP) to the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday included a summary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s medical consultations and check-ups, highlighting concerns over the former premier’s blood pressure (BP) and recommending increased interaction with family members to help manage his anxiety.

The report was submitted a day before the court was scheduled to hear Imran’s plea seeking treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital. In February, it was revealed by a report prepared by Barrister Salman Safdar on the SC’s direction that Imran had informed officials that his right eye was functioning at only 15% capacity. Safdar submitted the report to a two-member bench. As a result, the SC ordered that Imran be granted access to his personal physicians in Adiala Jail.

According to a summary of Imran’s consultations and check-ups included in the report, he was examined on August 1 by consultant cardiologist Prof Dr Akhtar Ali Bandeshah of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad.

“The consultant noted that the patient Imran, was seen for complaints of uncontrolled, fluctuating BP and associated palpitations, headache and restlessness. He also complains of previous causes of his symptoms due to infrequent meetings with his wife, family and social colleagues as a cause of stress. Further, he complains of stress due to non-availability of newspapers and TV etc,” it said.

The report noted that on examination, Imran’s pulse was 50 beats per minute and blood pressure was 140/100mmHg, while his chest was clear. The ECG showed electrical noise but was otherwise clear, with normal QRS complexes and no significant ECG changes.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. High blood pressure is consistently at or above 130/80 mm Hg.”

The consultant in the report recommended measures to de-escalate mental stress, including more frequent meetings with Imran’s wife and access to more reading material.

The consultant stated that “This 74 year gentlemen with a stressful attitude is at risk of complications” and recommended a CT coronary angiography and an increase in blood pressure medication, including Norvasc 5mg once daily in the morning.

The report said that Imran was further examined on August 10 by a four-member medical board comprising Head of the Eye Department at PIMS, Islamabad, Dr M. Arif Khan; cardiologist Dr Akhtar Ali Bandeshah; Associate Professor of Medicine Dr Muhammad Ali Arif; and Dr Muhammad Farqad Alamgir.

According to the report, the medical team recorded his blood pressure at 140/80mmHg and pulse at 54 beats per minute. It said his ECG was normal, while an echocardiogram showed slight E-to-A reversal, with the heart valves and chambers found to be normal.

It further said that Imran complained of head heaviness and palpitations, while the report noted significant anxiety. He had no shortness of breath or chest pain, it added.

“He needs a one-hour walk with some relaxation in his current prison situation. He should be provided with magazine/Newspaper/TV and reading books. His Human Interaction with immediate family member/Spouse should be more frequent than the current time allowed. This will help control his anxiety and B.P,” the medical board recommended, according to the report.

The report said there was no indication for further cardiac investigations, such as a CT angiogram, while recommending routine blood tests, including NT-proBNP, CBC and renal function tests.

It further added that Imran’s vision had returned to “almost normal” following treatment.

“Significant improvement in Imran’s eye has been noticed, and his vision returned to almost normal. The medical interventions and improvement of his vision suggested that the jail administration left no stone unturned in providing the convicted prisoner with the best healthcare facilities from the top public sector teaching hospital of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT),” it said.

It added that Imran had also been examined by several government doctors since his incarceration in Adiala Jail, with records of check-ups available. He had received treatment from an ophthalmologist for an eye condition. The superintendent, in his letter addressed to the SC Registrar, appealed to the court to dispose of the instant criminal appeal as it was “devoid of merit”.

Read: ‘Alarming reports’ on Imran’s health causing nationwide anxiety and restlessness: PTI

The summary noted at least 39 checkups since November 4, 2023, of the former premier by senior medical consultants. The latest medical consultation only recognised heightened anxiety with “normal ECG”, though the medical board advised “more frequent” interaction with family members “than the current time allowed”.

ICT Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik submitted the 28-page document to the SC on behalf of the Rawalpindi Central Jail superintendent in Criminal Appeal no 17/2026 on August 17 (today).

In a letter addressed to the SC Registrar by the superintendent, he also highlighted violations of the “privilege of interview by advancing political agenda on media after holding meetings with convicted prisoner” by Salman Akram Raja, the attorney of Imran.

It said that despite clear directions of the honourable court, Raja violated Rule-265 of Pakistan Prison Rules 1978: “The discussion of political matters shall not be allowed at these interviews. The subject matter of all letters shall be strictly limited to private affairs and shall not contain any reference to prison administration and discipline, other prisoners or politics.”

Read more: Imran Khan taken to hospital for minor eye procedure, confirms Tarar

Rubbishing claims of isolation of the former premier levelled by Raja, the letter noted that Imran Khan meets his wife every Thursday and has so far conducted 84 meetings with her since his incarceration.

“As of now, 84 Nos of such meetings have been held between both prisoners [Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi].”

The superintendent further claimed that adequate healthcare facilities were being provided to both prisoners.

Emphasising that jail medical officers visit Imran thrice a day to check his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.

Concerns raised over authenticity of medical documentation

PTI has raised questions over the authenticity of documents, saying “The presentation of unauthenticated documentation, lacking official institutional letterhead, accredited hospital stamps, or authorised physician signatures, constitutes a complete breach of clinical oversight.”

The party further highlighted that custodial personnel lacked diagnostic authority; therefore, issuance of “unverified” paperwork to summarise Imran’s health condition failed “basic legal and clinical standards”.

The statement lamented that the act minimised “complex physiological symptoms into non-specific descriptions without releasing supporting diagnostic data, severely compromising patient safety,” adding that proper clinical oversight required documented test metrics, certified diagnostic results, and accountable medical supervision.

“Any documentation lacking the direct endorsement of an accredited healthcare facility or a licensed specialist holds no clinical validity and must be rejected entirely,” it added.

The party further urged the authorities to restore transparency by issuing all future medical evaluations on official institutional letterhead, bearing the credentials, comprehensive technical assessments, and verifiable signatures of primary treating specialists.

It demanded unimpeded access “immediately” to an independent medical board and trusted personal physicians to conduct an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the former cricketer turned politician.

PTI Central Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram said that the party’s concerns about Imran’s health were proved right today after the government bodies submitted the report on party founder checkups.

He claimed that Imran’s health was poor as he was subjected to isolation during incarceration, alleging that Imran was kept under stress by limiting access to his family and personal physicians.

Akram said that the report findings proved that the former premier constantly suffered health issues during jail time.

Mentioning Imran’s complaints of fluctuating blood pressure, he asked the authorities to explain the rationale behind ignoring the advice of “state-employed physicians”.

“If the government is confident about Imran’s health findings, they should not be scared of independent examination,” he asserted.

He reiterated the party’s demand for a thorough medical examination by Imran’s trusted doctors, Dr Asim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan, to confirm the findings of the state’s medical board.

Referring to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif’s recent claim of treating his opponents “the best possible way”, he jibed that his party’s government treated Imran worse than enemies.

Akram demanded that the PTI founder should be shifted to Shifa Hospital immediately for a thorough medical examination and that no “delay” would be tolerated in the treatment.

“We don’t want concessions [for Imran], we want justice,” he concluded.