Imran Khan’s Health Under Scrutiny as Special Medical Team Visits Adiala Jail

A small convoy of physicians, many of them from Shifa International Hospital and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), rolled into Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail early Tuesday. Their mission? To give former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan a thorough medical check‑up after weeks of rumours about his wellbeing.

Sources inside the prison say the doctors will focus on two urgent areas – a detailed eye examination and a cardiac work‑up. Khan’s legal team has long claimed he suffers from Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, a condition that, according to them, has already robbed him of about 85 % of his vision. The government, however, has brushed off those accusations as unverified.

Beyond the eye problem, the prison doctors are also expected to monitor his blood pressure, anxiety levels and heart rhythm. Recent jail medical notes point to severe anxiety, stress‑induced heart palpitations and wildly fluctuating blood pressure – all of which could be exacerbated by prolonged solitary confinement.

Back in August, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered that the 73‑year‑old be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment by an independent board. Instead, officials cited “security concerns” and moved him, in the dead of night, to the government‑run PIMS facility. After a cursory evaluation, a medical board declared Khan “medically fit” and sent him straight back to Adiala, a decision his family immediately challenged as contempt of court.

Prison officials now boast that Khan is housed in a “B‑class” cell, gets two hours of exercise daily and receives three check‑ups a day. His sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, say they are still denied any phone contact despite court orders, fueling their frustration.

The situation has drawn fierce international attention. A coalition of former cricket captains – Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar – signed an open letter warning that Khan could die in jail without independent medical care. Even former UK prime minister Boris Johnson publicly condemned what he called “harsh prison conditions” and urged a humane resolution.

As the special medical team completes its examinations, the next step hinges on their report. If they recommend a transfer to a better‑equipped facility, the political tug‑of‑war over Khan’s health could intensify, drawing even more global scrutiny to Pakistan’s handling of the former leader’s welfare.