Jailed former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan has lost 85% of the sight in his right eye, his lawyer told the Supreme Court, an ordeal that adds to legal and political challenges the leader is already battling.
Imran Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges, one of dozens of cases he says were made up in order for the Pakistan army to keep him out of politics, a charge the military denies.
“He has been left with only 15% vision in his right eye,” Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safda,r said in Thursday’s report seen by Reuters, quoting the former cricket star turned politician.
The fact-finding report cited Khan as saying he had been complaining about “experiencing persistent blurred and hazy vision” since October 2025, but that jail authorities took no action.
Safdar submitted his report after a two-hour meeting with Khan, ordered by the Supreme Court, which set a February 16 deadline for authorities to allow Khan access to his personal physician for the report on his condition.
Court’s Failure
Lawyer Sameer Khosa, who has represented PTI in several cases, termed the report a damning indictment of the jail administration, the government, and the superior judiciary, as reported by The Express Tribune.
“The jail administration criminally neglected Imran Khan’s complaints regarding his eyesight and health,” he said.
“The courts failed to ensure adequate access to medical professionals despite several applications to this effect. The government underplayed the seriousness of his condition, the treatment, and his post-treatment condition.”
He said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) failed to fix numerous contempt petitions against the previous superintendent of jail, allowing his criminal negligence to continue while depriving meetings with lawyers and family that could have highlighted the issue earlier.
“It establishes beyond any doubt that Imran Khan is being subjected to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in violation of the Constitution and Pakistan’s international law obligations under the ICCPR and the Convention Against Torture,” he added
Khan’s Treatment Procedure
Khan was taken to the hospital this month for a 20-minute eye treatment procedure, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said previously.
“We demand immediate and transparent implementation of the court’s order, unrestricted access to qualified specialists of his choice, and an end to tactics that risk his life under custody,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party said in a statement.
The party, which had faced a crackdown after Khan’s May 2023 arrest, sparked nationwide protests against the military, emerged as the single biggest in a 2024 election.
But it said rigging robbed it of more seats to help other parties form a coalition government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accusations that Sharif and his allies deny.
(with inputs from Reuters)
