What happened
Former prime minister Imran Khan was taken from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad in the early hours of Tuesday 24 February 2026 and given a second anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as follow-up treatment for right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Hospital officials said the procedure was carried out as day-care surgery after cardiology checks, including an echocardiogram and an ECG, were reported as normal. His first injection had been administered on 24 January.
The overnight transfer became a political dispute. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said the government had acted in secret, writing on X that the situation “demands transparency, not secrecy”. Party chairman Gohar Ali Khan said he had not been informed in advance and repeated the demand that Khan be treated at Shifa International Hospital, in the presence of his personal physicians and family members. Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said the family learned of the visit from the media and questioned why relatives were not informed. PTI figures also said they could not verify a video, shared by the party, of a night-time convoy.
Responding in the Senate, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said a four-member medical board had examined Khan and that the late-night timing was chosen for security and to avoid disrupting routine hospital care. He said Khan had consented and had been assessed by a board including retinal specialist Dr Nadeem Qureshi of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital and Prof Arif, head of ophthalmology at PIMS. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed that doctors recommended the second procedure after improvement following the first, and said Khan was returned to jail after medical clearance. The government indicated a third injection was scheduled for 24 March.
Why it matters
The episode renewed the long-running confrontation over the treatment of the jailed former prime minister and over the access granted to his family and personal doctors. It came as the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) staged protests outside the Supreme Court for a second consecutive day demanding the early hearing of Khan’s cases, and as his sisters travelled to Adiala Jail on one of the court-mandated visit days. PTI said the visitors were stopped by police at Dahgal Naka, an account the article attributes to the party.
At issue are competing claims about medical transparency and the rights of a convicted prisoner. The government framed the procedure as lawful and clinically necessary; the opposition framed the lack of advance notice as evidence of concealment. Because the dispute concerns a prisoner’s medical care, it also raises questions that go beyond party politics about how the jail manual and constitutional guarantees of equality before the law are applied.
What is still uncertain
Aleema Khan’s allegation that doctors at PIMS were being pressured not to disclose information was not officially confirmed. PTI’s account of the convoy video and of family members being stopped at Dahgal Naka could not be independently verified from the sources reviewed. It was not clear whether the courts would order a transfer to Shifa International or additional family access. The next injection was scheduled for 24 March, leaving room for further dispute before then.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 24 February 2026.
- Dunya News — "PTI decries 'secrecy' as Imran Khan receives second eye injection at PIMS"Updated 24 Feb 2026 · Details of the injection and CRVO treatment, PTI and family statements, the government's Senate explanation, and the March follow-up schedule.
- Dawn — "Opposition demands immediate scheduling of Imran's cases"Published 24 Feb 2026 · Opposition protest outside the Supreme Court and demands for Khan's early hearings, family visits and medical examination by personal doctors.
