Pakistan’s political landscape faces renewed scrutiny as former Prime Minister Imran Khan experiences severe vision deterioration while incarcerated. According to revelations from his son Kasim Khan, the imprisoned leader retains merely 15% visual capacity in his right eye—a condition allegedly resulting from prolonged medical neglect during his 922-day solitary confinement.
The medical crisis unfolded progressively, with initial symptoms of blurred vision reported approximately three months ago during a legal consultation. Despite formal notifications to prison authorities by Khan’s legal representative Salman Safdar, no substantive medical intervention occurred, permitting the condition to advance unchecked. Medical assessments subsequently identified an ocular blood clot as the underlying cause of his vision impairment.
Contrasting this narrative, Pakistani governmental authorities maintain that Khan underwent appropriate medical procedures at a hospital on January 24, after which they declared him “fine and healthy.” This official stance conflicts sharply with family accounts of systematic medical denial, including blocked access to Khan’s personal physician for over twelve months.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has intervened decisively, mandating the formation of a specialized medical team to conduct comprehensive evaluations. The judicial directive additionally permits telephone communications between Khan and his sons, who currently reside in London with their mother Jemima Goldsmith. Notably, the siblings report continued visa denials preventing familial visits despite the escalating health emergency.
Kasim Khan attributes his father’s physical decline directly to “the regime in power, the Army Chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” alleging deliberate manipulation of judicial systems to maintain solitary confinement. The former cricket star turned politician faces multiple convictions including a 10-year sentence for alleged diplomatic cable disclosures and 14 years for corruption charges related to the Al Qadir Trust charity—cases his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party characterizes as politically motivated exclusion tactics.
International human rights organizations and democratic nations face mounting calls to address what the family describes as systematic persecution, with historical accountability demanded for all responsible parties.