PIMS-Shifa confusion: Imran Khan’s sister disputes govt’s account, claims only eyes, BP checked

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, has disputed the government’s version of events surrounding his transfer to hospital this week, alleging that only a cursory eye examination was carried out and that officials had no medical files with them during the process. Dr Uzma was also under the impression that they were being taken to Shifa International Hospital as opposed to PIMS.

Speaking about the confusion surrounding her brother’s transfer during a press conference, Dr Uzma said that since the start of the journey officials refused to engage with them: “When we reached Chaklala around Fajar, I kept asking the ASI, telling her that they cannot do this to us, that it would amount to contempt of court,” she said.

She said only Imran Khan’s eyes were tested during the check-up, with no other examination conducted. “Only his blood pressure was measured. Who even knows about the eye drops,” she said, describing the entire process as “haphazard” and noting that officials had no files with them. He was then taken back to Adiala, she said.

Dr Uzma said Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, had arrived by then as well. “I joked that he had been kidnapped,” she said, adding that Khan had urged KP CM Sohail Afridi tp speed up the ‘movement’.

She also alleged Khan’s mistreatment over the past 10 months in custody. “He said his head would hurt and he would complain, but they wouldn’t budge,” she said, attributing the resulting hypertension to anxiety, which she said would lead to a brain hemorrhage, with heart rate recorded at 42 and blood pressure at 120. “Doctors would tell them, but they would not disclose it,” she said, invoking the case of Mohamed Morsi, the former Egyptian president who collapsed and died during a court appearance in 2019. She said she told him that the nation stood with Khan.

Dr Faisal Sultan, giving his own account of the night, said they left around 8:15-8:30pm in two vehicles and left their phones behind when police picked him up around 12:30am. “After 30-45 minutes, we reached Shifa International,” he said, adding that they then waited for roughly two-and-a-half to three hours at the hospital, with officials repeatedly saying Khan was about to arrive. Around 4:30am, he said, they were told Khan would not be able to reach the hospital, after which he returned to Adiala.

“When I saw her, I told her I was at Shifa while she was at PIMS,” he said, adding that there had been no contact between them by phone since he did not have his own with him. “I concluded that nothing was clear,” he said, noting that the return journey took around 40 minutes, while the trip there had taken 25-30 minutes, around the time of the Fajr azaan.

The family’s account contrasts with that given by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who said in a post on X that Khan was taken to hospital under appropriate security arrangements during the intervening night of August 20 and 21, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision. “A team of qualified doctors, including an eye specialist, cardiologist and physician, conducted a detailed examination and declared him medically fit,” Tarar said, adding that Dr Uzma Khan remained present throughout the examination and treatment process. He said Khan was moved back to Adiala Jail around 5am on August 21.

Afridi said the conduct of the government and administration on Thursday was regrettable, alleging that a court order had been violated. “If this is the treatment meted out to Imran Khan, what must be happening to an ordinary citizen in this country,” he said.

He said the government had reached such a low point that it had disregarded the ruling of three judges, while still fearing contempt of court proceedings. Afridi said it was now up to the judiciary to decide whether courts were meant to be locked up or their decisions enforced, adding that judges must decide what action to take against those found in contempt of court. He warned that if court orders continued to go unimplemented, the country would descend into a “jungle law” where the powerful trample over the law, and said the struggle and movement for the PTI founder would only intensify as a result.

Afridi also said the government itself claims Imran Khan’s health is poor, and rejected claims that PTI workers had been out on the streets, calling any such suggestion incorrect.