Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has lost most of the vision in his right eye while in prison, his lawyer told the country’s top court, saying authorities failed to provide timely medical treatment.
Lawyer Salman Safdar, who said he was allowed to visit Khan this week for the first time in seven weeks, told the Supreme Court that the former cricketer now has about 15% vision remaining in his right eye.
Safdar said Khan began experiencing blurred and hazy vision three to four months ago and informed prison authorities, but was only given eye drops.
Pakistan’s authorities have previously said Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure on Jan. 24 at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). At the time, Information Minister Ata Tarar said Khan was “fine and healthy”.
In a report submitted on Tuesday to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, Safdar said Khan’s condition had been diagnosed as a blood clot in his right eye, causing severe damage and significant loss of vision.
Khan was “visibly perturbed and deeply distressed by the loss of vision and the absence of timely and specialised medical intervention”, the report said. Safdar requested that his client be examined by a team of specialist ophthalmologists, be granted access to his family and be provided improved prison conditions.
The court ruled that Khan be allowed access to his personal physicians at Adiala Jail, where he is being held, and be permitted to speak by telephone with his sons, Kasim and Sulaiman.
According to the report, Khan’s cell contains basic furniture, about 100 books, two dumbbells, a prayer mat and a non-functioning television. During the summer months, the room becomes hot and humid, with insects and mosquitoes frequently entering, and Khan suffered food poisoning two to three times, the report said.
Khan is assisted by a fellow inmate who cleans the cell, and is allowed to walk in a 12-by-30-foot lawn during the day.
A Pakistani interior minister has previously described Khan as “the most privileged prisoner in Pakistan”, saying he has access to gym equipment and a cook.
Khan, who led Pakistan from 2018 to 2022 and previously captained the national cricket team, has been in jail since August 2023. He faces more than 100 cases, including charges of leaking state secrets and selling state gifts, which he says are politically motivated.
His imprisonment sparked widespread protests by supporters that were met with a crackdown by authorities. Thousands were arrested and many were injured in clashes with police.