“Stress was never his weakness. The fact that it has now reached peak levels says a lot about what three years of imprisonment and complete isolation have done to him,” former Pakistani president Arif Alvi said while commenting on Imran Khan’s latest medical report. The concerning report, released amid persistent but unverified rumours about Khan’s death, has provided fresh momentum to his family and supporters demanding his release. It presents a worrying picture of the former Pakistan World Cup-winning captain, who has been held at the notorious Adiala Jail since August 2023.
The medical report, submitted to the Pakistan Supreme Court by Adiala Jail authorities, points to elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations and severe psychological stress. The 73-year-old former prime minister’s blood pressure was recorded at 140/80, his pulse at 54 beats per minute and his anxiety level at “+++”. In February this year, his blood pressure had been recorded at 120/80, which falls within the normal range.
However, prison officials told the court that Khan’s eyesight had improved to “almost normal”. This comes six months after his lawyer claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader had lost nearly 85% of the vision in his right eye.
WHAT DOES IMRAN KHAN’S MEDICAL REPORT SHOW?
Although Khan’s full medical report has not been released publicly, Alvi shared portions of it on X. The former president, who is also a dentist, said he had examined the report with several medical specialists and described the findings as “alarming”.
Alvi highlighted four major concerns: acute anxiety, increased stress, heart palpitations and high blood pressure. He also said that while sleeplessness was not specifically mentioned, the medication listed in the report strongly suggested that Khan was experiencing it as well.
According to Alvi, Khan is taking Citanil and Lexotanil three times a day, which he said indicated that his daytime anxiety was being treated with medication.
Alvi, who said he had known Khan for more than 35 years, attributed the unusually high stress levels to his prolonged imprisonment, the deaths of members of his party, his restricted access to information from outside and extended isolation.
Khan became Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018 but was removed from office in 2022 following a no-confidence vote. Since then, his party has faced extensive restrictions and was effectively prevented from contesting the 2024 elections.
Khan was first arrested on May 9, 2023, leading to widespread protests and violence across Pakistan. He was arrested again on August 5 that year in connection with multiple corruption cases.
Although he was acquitted in a case involving the alleged disclosure of official secrets, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, remain imprisoned in a case involving the alleged illegal sale of state gifts.
His family has also repeatedly raised concerns over the conditions in which he is being held. Earlier this year, Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, told Sky News that their father had been confined to a “death cell”, allegedly surrounded by dirty water and prisoners “dying of hepatitis”.
Alvi stressed that the prolonged isolation was having a physical impact on Khan and called for him to be shifted to a hospital immediately. He also alleged that Khan’s medical reports had been manipulated in the past.
“The next three months will decide whether his condition is reversed or becomes permanent,” the former president said.
IMRAN KHAN’S FAMILY BLAMES ASIM MUNIR
The medical report has provided renewed impetus to Khan’s family and supporters to demand his release. His three sisters, who have played a prominent role in protests against the Pakistani government, have also been seeking permission to meet him.
Khan’s sons told CNN last week that they had received no updates, claiming that his family members, doctors and lawyers had not been allowed to meet him for seven months.
In a video released by PTI on Monday, Khan’s sisters directly blamed Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir for his deteriorating condition. Dr Uzma Khan alleged that Munir “directly orders the colonel” and should be held responsible if anything happens to Imran Khan.
The longstanding political rivalry between Khan and Munir is well known in Pakistan. Munir was reportedly removed as ISI chief by Khan in 2019.
Last week, hundreds of PTI supporters clashed with security personnel in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Mianwali during demonstrations marking the third anniversary of Khan’s arrest. More than 100 supporters were arrested.
Amid the unrest, fresh rumours about Khan’s death further heightened tensions. Journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan caused a major stir last week when he claimed that Khan had already died inside his prison cell. He attributed the claim to a source within the Pakistani military.
However, Wajahat later withdrew the claim, saying his sources had never actually confirmed that Khan was dead. The allegation also prompted an unusual statement from the Pakistani military, which dismissed it as baseless.
Similar rumours about Khan’s death had circulated in November last year, before his sister Uzma Khanum was able to meet him at Adiala Jail in December.
Nevertheless, the latest claim added to the already tense situation. Muhammad Suhail Afridi, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, whose PTI is in power in the province, announced that thousands of party workers would march towards Islamabad on September 27 if “justice” was not delivered to Khan.
