Tensions in Pakistan reached a boiling point this week as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) categorically rejected a “behind-closed-doors” medical examination of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan. Following a Supreme Court directive, a five-member medical board visited Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Sunday, February 15, 2026, to assess the 73-year-old leader’s deteriorating health. The examination comes amid alarming reports that Khan has lost approximately 85% of his vision in his right eye due to a retinal blood clot—a condition his legal team attributes to months of solitary confinement and “inhumane” neglect. While the government claims the check-up is part of a humanitarian plan to transfer Khan to a specialized hospital, PTI leadership has branded the process “malicious” and “secretive,” citing the exclusion of Khan’s personal physicians and family members from the proceedings.
The controversy deepened as Khan’s sister, Noreen Khanum, reported the arrival of an ambulance at the jail, which she viewed not as a gesture of care but as an attempt to move the former Prime Minister to an undisclosed location without oversight. PTI spokespersons have warned that any transfer or treatment conducted without the presence of trusted doctors violates constitutional rights and puts Khan’s life at extreme risk. Meanwhile, an opposition alliance continues a massive sit-in outside Parliament House in Islamabad, demanding that Khan be moved to Al-Shifa Hospital under independent supervision. As the Supreme Court awaits a formal report on the medical findings today, February 16, the standoff remains a volatile focal point for Pakistan’s political stability, with supporters vowing to resist any state-controlled medical intervention they believe could be used to manufacture false health reports.
