Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan Left With Only 15% Vision, SC Orders Urgent Medical Review

Islamabad / New Delhi: Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has reportedly lost about 85 % of vision in his right eye while in custody at Adiala Jail, according to medical reports submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. 

The court on Thursday ordered an independent medical board to urgently examine his eye condition and granted limited family contact amid growing political controversy. 

Barrister Salman Safdar, appointed by the Supreme Court as amicus curiae, presented a report to the apex court after meeting Khan in prison. The report states the 73‑year‑old former premier has only about 15 % vision remaining in his right eye. Khan told Safdar that he began experiencing blurred and hazy vision in October 2025 and repeatedly complained to jail authorities — claims that officials have not publicly confirmed. 

Medical examinations by an ophthalmologist from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) diagnosed Khan with central retinal vein occlusion, a blood clot in the eye’s vein that can cause significant visual damage. 

A medical report dated 6 February 2026 recommended follow‑up care and treatment, including anti‑VEGF injections. However, PTI officials say the treatment so far has been inadequate, leaving his vision severely compromised. 

In response, the Supreme Court has ordered authorities to form a medical board to assess Khan’s condition and complete a full eye examination by 16 February 2026. The court also directed that Khan be allowed telephone contact with his sons and that his personal physicians be given access. 

Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) and allied opposition groups have strongly criticised the government and prison officials, calling the deterioration in Khan’s eyesight a “crime” and evidence of medical neglect while in custody. 

PTI leaders, including Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and party figures, said prison authorities delayed proper treatment for months despite repeated complaints and that responsibility should be fixed for the alleged negligence. 

Senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday reiterated that Pakistan’s government and jail administration are accountable for the health and rights of prisoners, saying Khan’s partial vision loss is a matter of concern for all incarcerated individuals. 

He criticised delays in medical access and treatment for other prisoners as well. 

Opposition alliance Tehreek‑i‑Tahaffuz‑i‑Ayn‑i‑Pakistan (TTAP) also called for protests and sit‑ins until Khan is allowed thorough treatment or transferred to a hospital with specialist ophthalmologists. 

Government officials have acknowledged Khan’s eye condition and the court‑mandated medical evaluation but have disputed some aspects of the timeline and allegations of outright refusal of care. 

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other officials previously said Khan was taken for treatment and considered “‘in good health’,” although PTI representatives counter that the family was not informed prior to the hospital visit. 

Authorities have also stressed that proper procedures are being followed and that the medical board ordered by the Supreme Court will assess the situation objectively. No official comment has been made affirming or denying claims of deliberate neglect.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption and graft convictions that he and his supporters describe as politically motivated. 

The latest health crisis has intensified debate within Pakistan about the treatment of political prisoners and the state’s obligations under human rights standards. 

A panel of doctors is scheduled to examine Khan at Adiala Jail today, 14 February 2026, as part of the court‑ordered review, and results of that assessment are expected to be reported soon.