RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s health, particularly his eyesight, lawmakers from the party, along with members of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP), continued their sit-in for a fourth consecutive day on Monday.
The sit-in is currently being staged at the Parliament House with National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas in attendance.
Whereas sit-ins at Parliament Lodges and KP House have ended with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and former CM Ali Amin Gandapur having left the KP House sit-in location.
The TTAP has said that the sit-ins would continue until the incarcerated former premier is shifted to Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital from Adiala jail.
Imran’s health has emerged as the latest point of contention between the government and the opposition comprising PTI and the TTAP alliance after a report, filed by his lawyer and SC’s amicus curiae Barrister Salman Safdar, revealed that the PTI founder was diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).
CRVO is a disorder that commonly affects older adults and is linked to underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
Furthermore, the report stated that the former premier — who has been in jail since August 2023 — has complained of losing 85% of the vision in his right eye.
Following the report, the PTI and members of his family expressed concern about the former premier’s health and demanded that he be shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Sources earlier told Geo News that Imran had undergone an hour-long examination by five senior doctors and that the pain in his right eye had reduced significantly.
They added that further improvement in the PTI founder’s condition is expected following the ongoing treatment, and that the medical examination report has been forwarded to the relevant authorities.
The medical examination was initiated to meet a judicial deadline set by the Supreme Court, which requires a complete medical report to be submitted by February 16 (today).
Meanwhile, the sources also say that TTAP chief Achakzai has summoned a meeting of the parliamentarians at 1pm at the Parliament House today. The huddle, they added, will see Achakzai consulting the MNAs and senators on protest.
Seaparately, the sources also said that a team of expert doctors from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Al-Shifa International Hospital carried out a detailed examination of Imran and expressed satisfaction while noting significant improvement in his eyesight.
Furthermore, the ophthalmologists also gave an hour and a half long briefing to the PTI founder’s personal physicians.
Meanwhile, the jail authorities have forwarded Imran’s medical record to the Punjab Home Department. The documents include a complete chart of the inmate’s vital signs, blood pressure, pulse, temperature and blood sugar levels.
Separately, the former prime minister has also moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking suspension of the sentence awarded in the Toshakhana-2 case and his release on bail on medical and humanitarian grounds.
The PTI founder, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, is facing 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana-2 case involving the under-priced purchase and eventual sale of luxury state gifts.
A separate application has also been moved requesting an early hearing of a plea seeking suspension of the sentence in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust case, also referred to as the £190 million scam.
