Alarm raised over health of PTI’s jailed leaders

• PTI seeks immediate independent medical access to Imran
• Demands shifting of Ejaz Chaudhry to specialised healthcare facility

ISLAMABAD: The PTI has voiced serious concern over the health of its founding chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, warning that prolonged detention, restricted medical access, and extended solitary confinement have led to a worrying decline in his eyesight and overall condition.

In a statement issued by the PTI central media department on Monday, the party said limited access to appropriate care and the absence of transparency around his medical evaluations had deepened public concern. It added medical assessments conducted in the absence of trusted physicians or family members lacked credibility and did not meet basic standards of patient rights.

While demanding immediate transfer of Imran to Shifa International Hospital for a comprehensive and transparent medical examination, particularly of his eye condition, the party called for unrestricted access for his personal physicians, including Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Asim Yousaf, to examine and treat him without external interference.

The party also stressed the presence of a family member during medical examinations to ensure transparency, as well as the release of complete medical records, including retinal imaging, OCT scans, visual field tests, and ERG reports, for independent review.

“According to the latest medical assessment, his kidney disease has advanced to Stage III, and specialist doctors have clearly stated that effective treatment is not possible within the prison environment,” the party stated. It called upon the authorities to ensure that all elderly and ailing political prisoners, particularly those incarcerated at Kot Lakhpat jail, were provided proper medical treatment without delay. It added that justice and humanity required that no individual’s life be endangered due to prolonged detention in conditions unfit for critical healthcare.

It emphasised that timely and proper medical care was a fundamental right of every detainee and urged immediate action to safeguard Imran’s health and dignity.

Ejaz Chaudhry’s ailment

The PTI also expressed grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating health of the party’s jailed Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, demanding his immediate transfer to a well-equipped hospital for urgent and uninterrupted medical care.

Ejaz Chaudhry is serving a 10-year sentence along with other party leaders for their involvement in riots in the country on May 9, 2023.

The party quoted doctors as saying that the 69-year-old leader’s treatment was not possible in jail. It reiterated that this was not a request for any concession but a demand for the protection of fundamental human rights.

His son, Advocate Ali Chaudhry, had clarified that his father had not been shifted to the hospital.

“We are using legal and administrative avenues to ensure he gets medical care, including being shifted to the hospital for a complete and thorough check-up. He remains incarcerated at Kot Lakhpat Jail at the moment,” he said in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday night.

His counsel Rana Mudassar Umer told Dawn that Chaudhry’s health deteriorated due to negligence in providing proper treatment on time. He said he first had heart issues in jail, but as his treatment was delayed, he was eventually operated on to fix his stents. Eventually, he said, Chaudhry’s kidneys were affected yet he was taken back to jail without being provided proper treatment.

According to lawyers, the PTI leader also contracted a gallbladder infection and was taken back to jail from the Punjab Kidney and Liver Institute against the doctor’s advice.

“Now the fresh medical reports, conducted after several requests and court orders, suggest stage three kidney disease,” he said.

The lawyer said that he had obtained a fresh court order a couple of weeks ago for Chaudhry’s treatment. “No proper treatment has begun yet,” he lamented, adding that treatment required a specialised hospital.

The PTI said the continued incarceration of political leaders, including Imran and his spouse Bushra Bibi, along with many others held in Lahore and elsewhere, raised serious humanitarian and legal concerns that must be addressed without prejudice and resolved without delay, demanding immediate release of all political prisoners including Imran.

It also emphasised that medical decisions regarding detainees must be transparent, credible, and respectful of the patient’s right to consultation with trusted physicians and family members.

At a time when the health and dignity of detainees were at stake, silence from relevant quarters was deeply regrettable, it said, while seeking immediate, compassionate, and lawful action to safeguard lives and uphold justice.

Inflation, tariffs

Also, the PTI expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in inflation, continuous increases in electricity and gas tariffs, and the intensifying energy crisis that was placing an unbearable burden on citizens across the country. It said households, small businesses, and traders were struggling to survive amid escalating costs, unemployment, and economic uncertainty.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026