ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday directed the chief commissioner of Islamabad to constitute a medical board to evaluate the health condition of Imran Khan, while disposing of a petition seeking his transfer to a private hospital.
The petition requesting the transfer of the jailed founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to Shifa International Hospital for eye treatment was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro.
According to a report submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan by his lawyer Salman Safdar, Khan has been diagnosed with Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious condition that occurs when the main vein draining blood from the retina becomes blocked.
In its three-page written order, the court said that since the matter concerns the appellant’s health, a fresh medical examination should be conducted immediately through a medical board despite earlier assessments.
The bench directed that the board should include Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, head of the ophthalmology department at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, and Prof Dr Nadeem Qureshi, head of the vitreo-retina department at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.
The court ordered the medical board to submit its recommendations to Islamabad’s chief commissioner as soon as possible, who will then decide — under the law and prison rules — whether Khan should be shifted to a hospital outside prison or continue receiving treatment in jail.
However, the court rejected the request to transfer the former premier to a private hospital, noting that under the Pakistan Prison Rules the authority to move a convicted prisoner outside prison for treatment rests with the government.
The bench also directed prison authorities to inform the prisoner’s relatives if he develops a serious medical condition and to strictly follow prison rules.
Khan, currently held at Adiala Jail, has undergone several medical examinations in recent months and has been taken twice to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment of his right eye under tight security.
His most recent hospital visit took place on February 24 for a follow-up examination, and he is expected to receive a third injection as part of his treatment later this month.