Imran Khan's health sparks concern

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was taken to hospital for an eye check-up and treatment before being shifted back to prison, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing officials. Khan, who is lodged in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he also received treatment for blood pressure-related issues, one of the officials said. "He had some blood pressure issues ... and was given required treatment last night. He has been shifted back to his prison cell," the person said. The 74-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison for more than three years after losing power in a no-confidence vote in 2022. He has faced multiple corruption charges, which he denies, alleging that they are politically motivated. The Shehbaz Sharif government has rejected his claims. All but one of Khan's convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. His lawyers have repeatedly raised concerns over his health in prison, claiming that his condition has deteriorated and that he has lost significant vision in his right eye. Wednesday's hospital visit is the first known instance of Khan being taken for treatment and subsequently returned to jail since August, when an earlier hospital visit was cut short. Meanwhile, a Pakistani court has directed jail authorities to allow Khan's legal team to meet him and his wife, his party said.

Qureshi also hospitalised

Khan's hospital visit comes a day after his close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) deputy chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was taken to a hospital in Lahore after collapsing inside his barrack at Kot Lakhpat Jail. According to a prison official, Qureshi suffered a dizzy spell while walking inside his barrack on Monday, injuring his knee and arm in the fall. The 70-year-old former foreign minister was subsequently shifted to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology for treatment and remains hospitalised. Khan, who led Pakistan to its maiden ODI World Cup title in 1992, has been behind bars for more than three years. Concerns over his health and prison conditions have repeatedly been raised by his family, party members and supporters, including former international cricket colleagues.

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