Islamabad, Pakistan. Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has lost 85% of the sight in his right eye, his lawyer told Pakistan’s Supreme Court. The report adds to the legal and political challenges Khan is facing while in custody.
Lawyer’s report to the Supreme Court
Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. He is facing dozens of cases and says they were made up by the army to keep him out of politics, an allegation the military denies.
“He has been left with only 15% vision in his right eye,” Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar said in a report dated Thursday seen by Reuters, quoting Khan.
The fact-finding report cited Khan as saying he had been complaining about “experiencing persistent blurred and hazy vision” since October 2025, but that jail authorities took no action.
Safdar submitted his report after a two-hour meeting with Khan ordered by the Supreme Court. The court set a February 16 deadline for authorities to allow Khan access to his personal physician for a report on his condition.
Observations during the meeting
Safdar said he observed that Khan appeared “visibly perturbed and deeply distressed by the loss of vision,” adding that his “eyes were watery, and he repeatedly used a tissue-paper to wipe them.”
Diagnosis and treatment
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier this month that Khan was taken to hospital for a 20-minute eye treatment procedure.
According to a February 6 medical report submitted in court, based on an examination by an ophthalmologist in Khan’s prison cell in Rawalpindi, Khan was diagnosed with a right central retinal vein occlusion, described as a blockage.
The report said Khan was taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, where doctors carried out the 20-minute procedure in an operation theatre with his consent.
What do you think the Supreme Court’s February 16 deadline could mean for Khan’s access to medical care?