‘On the vindictive instructions of Asim Munir’: Family claims Imran Khan suffered ‘unimaginable abuse’ in prison; supporters protest

former prime minister of pakistan Imran KhanThe family claimed he suffered “unimaginable abuse” in prison and demanded better medical facilities for him.This comes after Khan recently told a visiting lawyer that he had lost around 85% of the vision in his right eye due to an alleged lack of medical care.“On the vengeful instructions of Asim Munir”Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi claimed that the former Prime Minister was under the guidance of “Asim Law” and his right eye will face irreversible damage. She claimed Khan had been diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion. “Imran Khan, a global celebrity, philanthropist and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, suffered unimaginable abuse in jail under the provisions of the Asim Act and now faces irreversible direct consequences in his right eye,” Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi said in a post on X, referring to Defense Forces Chief Marshal Asim Munir.“The deplorable conditions of the jail had a severe impact on his health, resulting in devastating effects on his eyes and he is now diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion. This was not just negligence. This was an act of willful cruelty, executed through the evil and conniving master plan of General Asim Munir. Imran Khan’s due treatment was carried out inside a prison in deplorable conditions under the vindictive instructions of General Asim Munir,” she added.Noreen added that given the nature of Khan’s eye disease, in which he has lost 85 per cent of his vision, it was “simply impossible in a prison setting” to receive appropriate treatment.“Our only constitutional and legal demand is that Imran Khan be immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for treatment under the supervision of his personal doctor,” she demanded.“You (Munir) declared yourself the head of the Muslim armed forces, quoted Quranic verses in your speeches, but you refused to abide by them. The entire country woke up and the world was watching this brutal, inhumane and despicable treatment by Imran Khan. This raises concerns about Imran Khan’s legal rights; rather, it underscores the seriousness of the lawlessness currently prevalent in Pakistan under illegitimate and un-Islamic rule. It represents a profound test of your faith, your command and the judgment you are about to make,” Noreen said.Meanwhile, Khan’s close aide Zulfi Bokhari said the former prime minister told his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Tuesday that he remained deeply concerned about his eyes.“His first priority is to hold an immediate emergency meeting with his personal doctors, Dr. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Asim. Let’s put politics aside for now and focus only on this extremely reasonable request,” Bokhari said.PTI cuts Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from rest of PakistanMeanwhile, Pakistan’s opposition coalition continues a sit-in in Islamabad demanding better medical facilities for jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.The sit-in was led by the Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan (TTAP), a coalition formed last year to protest against the country’s constitution.Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is its main force, and the alliance is led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a Pashtun tribal leader in Balochistan who is also the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.The group launched protests on Friday at two locations in Islamabad, including near the parliament building and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Palace, the official building of the provincial government in the capital.Protesters vowed to continue the sit-in until Khan is transferred to a private hospital for specialist treatment.The PTI, which has cut off Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the rest of the country through road blockades, demanded that Khan be immediately shifted to a hospital and his doctors be allowed to see him.Former cricket captain appeals to Pakistan government over Khan’s careMore than a dozen former international cricket team captains also issued a statement calling on the Islamabad government to grant him “adequate” medical treatment.The former cricket captain “respectfully” urged Pakistan to “ensure that Imran Khan receives immediate, adequate and ongoing medical care from a qualified specialist of his choice”.The campaign is led by former Australia captain and contemporary of Khan Greg Chappell.“Khan shall have fair and transparent access to legal proceedings without undue delay or obstruction,” the statement said.Other signatories include Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Nasser Hussein With David Gower (England), Alan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Steve Waugh As well as Kim Hughes (Australia), Clive Lloyd (West Indies) and John Wright (New Zealand).Government rejects chargesInterior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media that the government had no intention of “politicizing” Khan’s health issues, while accusing the opposition of doing the same.“The medical report also came out yesterday and everything is clear. Neither we nor the government want to politicize the matter,” he said.He also criticized PTI’s outrage over Khan’s health condition.“It would be extremely inappropriate and especially misleading to hold a program like this,” the minister said.The government refuted the allegations by Khan’s family and said a two-person team of doctors who examined the former prime minister concluded that his vision in his right eye without glasses was 6/24 parts, while his left eye measured 6/9.However, after wearing corrective glasses, partial vision improved to 6/9 in the right eye and 6/6 in the left eye.They also reported less swelling and thickness reduction in the right eye from 550 microns to 350 microns, which they reported as a sign of improvement. The doctor also recommended the use of eye drops in both eyes and advised the PTI founder to undergo two more eye tests.Pakistan’s Supreme Court has requested a report on Khan’s living conditions in Adiala prison near Rawalpindi in connection with a case that has been pending since 2023.Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure at the Islamabad Government Hospital in January, but gave no other details.