Imran Khan taken to PIMS overnight, given sixth eye injection

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan was taken from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad late on Tuesday night, where doctors gave him a sixth anti-VEGF injection in his right eye. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the hospital administration said all of his vital indicators were within normal limits and his overall condition was stable.

A midnight visit, back by 2:30am
According to PIMS, Imran was brought to the hospital during the night between November 10 and 11 for a medical check-up and follow-up eye treatment, on the advice of his treating ophthalmologist. The ophthalmology team’s injection followed his informed consent, with standard monitoring and clinical precautions in place. He spent around 40 to 50 minutes at the hospital and was discharged at about 2:30am, before being taken back to Adiala Jail. Jail sources said the transfer was carried out under tight security.

A blocked vein in the right eye; treatment since January
Imran’s right eye has central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a condition affecting blood flow through the retina, diagnosed after he reported reduced vision. The first injection was given on January 24. A report submitted to the Supreme Court in February said his right eye was functioning at only 15 per cent capacity, though a medical board later found his vision had improved from 6/36 to 6/9, with 6/6 in his left eye with glasses. The third dose followed on March 23, the fourth on April 28 and the fifth on June 15.

The Shifa transfer demand stands
The hospital visit came a day after the Islamabad High Court directed that lawyers Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar be allowed to meet Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, at Adiala Jail, while hearing their appeals against convictions in the £190 million case. A day earlier, Imran’s sister Uzma Khan had moved the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing of the case for his transfer to Shifa International Hospital. The Supreme Court had ordered on August 18 that he be shifted to Shifa for specialist treatment; he was taken to PIMS instead, and the PTI has filed a contempt petition over the failure to carry out the order. Imran has been in custody since August 2023.