ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating health of party founder Imran Khan.
Junaid Akbar warned, “If Imran Khan is going blind, many others in the country will go blind too.”
He criticized authorities for neglecting Imran Khan’s medical needs and urged them to prioritize his health, saying, “I call those who do not follow the Constitution terrorists. For the survival of the country and the next generation, think beyond the founder of PTI.”
Earlier, PTI had expressed concern over a report by Barrister Salman Safdar regarding Khan’s eyesight. The party said the 73-year-old former PM Imran Khan is reportedly losing vision while in jail and is being denied proper medical care and access to doctors, Faisal Sultan and Asim Yousaf.
PTI also noted that the Supreme Court has formed a medical team and ordered examinations to be conducted before February 16, while Imran Khan has been allowed phone contact with his sons.
The party warned that medical negligence amounts to mental and physical torture and said it will pursue every legal forum, adding that a public movement may be launched if its demands are ignored.
Salman Safdar Report On Imran Khan
A report submitted by Barrister Salman Safdar to the court after he visits Adiala jail for a meeting with Imran Khan, recommended an immediate examination of eyes of the party’s founder.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has demanded examination of his eyes by Dr. Faisal Sultan and Asim Yousuf,” a detailed report of seven pages submitted by Salman Safdar to the court read.
It has been recommended in the report that the PTI founder’s eyes could also been examined by an expert ophthalmologist.
The lawyer also recommended providing books to the party’s founder due to his solitary confinement and lack of access to television set.
“His treatment was started after sudden and complete end of his sight of the right eye,” according to the report. “PTI founder has said that he could only see 10 to 15 percent”.
“The jail officials didn’t take it seriously when the eyesight issue of the PTI leader started during the last three months, report read. “They didn’t try to address the health condition”, Barrister Salman Safdar said in his report to the court.
“His eyesight of both eyes was normal, three to four months ago,” PTI leader told the visiting lawyer. “He felt blurredness of eyes later and he repeatedly complained to the Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum,” according to report.
“The jail officials didn’t take any step to address the complaint, later the right eyesight went off completely,” report read.
“Later the PIMS ophthalmologist Dr Muhammad Arif examined his eyes. The eyesight of his right eye remained only up to 15 percent,” Salman Safdar said in his report.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court had ordered arrangements for Salman Safdar to meet Imran Khan in jail. The court granted Barrister Salman Safdar permission to meet him and appointed him ‘a friend of the court’.