A fierce political row has erupted in Pakistan over the health of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accusing his sister, Aleema Khanum, of politicising his medical condition and delaying his treatment.
At a press conference on Monday, Naqvi alleged that Aleema Khanum had turned her brother’s eye ailment into a political issue. He claimed that after Khan received his first eye injection, doctors were scheduled to examine him and conduct tests on 12 February. However, according to Naqvi, the visit was delayed by three days due to Aleema’s intervention, and doctors were only able to reach Adiala Jail on 15 February.
The minister further alleged that when a medical team went to examine Khan on 15 February, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan was invited to be present but declined to attend. Naqvi said that despite this, Gohar and PTI Senate Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai were later briefed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. He added that the government-appointed doctors held a 45-minute discussion with Khan’s personal physicians, during which, he claimed, the treatment was described as satisfactory.
Hospital Shift ‘Only on Doctors’ Advice’
Responding to demands from PTI and Khan’s family to shift him to hospital, Naqvi said the government would not hesitate to admit him for a week or even two, but strictly on medical advice. He defended the administration’s handling of the matter, stating that while the anti-VEGF injection could have been administered inside the jail, authorities opted to take Khan to PIMS to ensure a secure and controlled environment.
Throughout the press conference, Naqvi alternated between accusing Aleema Khanum of exploiting her brother’s illness for political gain and blaming her for delays in his medical examination. He also alleged that she had instructed party officials not to publicly praise the treatment, warning that doing so would weaken the political narrative.
Contradictions in Timeline Raise Questions
However, inconsistencies in Naqvi’s claims have drawn attention. While he alleged that doctors were prevented from visiting on February 12, that date coincided with a hearing in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where court-appointed amicus curiae Salman Safdar presented a report stating that Khan had only 15 per cent vision in his right eye. The court subsequently directed the government to constitute a medical board to examine Khan and submit a report.
Notably, the government formed the medical team on February 14, two days after the alleged missed examination. This sequence of events has raised questions about the timeline presented by the interior minister.
Further discrepancies emerged regarding the duration and substance of discussions between the government-appointed doctors and Khan’s personal medical team. While Naqvi claimed a 45-minute meeting in which treatment was endorsed as “very good”, the official health report reportedly stated that the discussion lasted only 25 minutes and made no such assessment.
Naqvi also dismissed reports suggesting that Khan had lost 85% of vision in his right eye or that prison conditions were dire. He expressed a desire to take journalists inside the jail to demonstrate the facilities provided to the former premier, though he acknowledged that allowing media access was not solely within his authority.
