Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday said the government had no intention of politicising the health concerns of PTI founder Imran Khan, accusing the opposition of turning the matter into a political issue.
Concerns about the jailed former premier’s health surfaced in late January after reports of an eye ailment. Speaking to the media in Lahore, Naqvi referred to a recent medical report prepared by a team of doctors who examined Imran at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Sunday.
“The medical report has been issued and everything is clear in it. Neither I nor the government want to politicise this matter,” he said, adding that certain requests were accommodated but could not be made public at this stage.
He criticised what he described as attempts to create unnecessary drama around the issue, saying the authorities had arranged both government and private doctors to conduct the examination after a delay of several days.
Naqvi said he had invited PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan to be present during the check-up, but the latter declined after consulting his party. According to the minister, Gohar was informed of a 2:30pm schedule, and officials waited for about an hour before being told he would not attend.
“Our intention was for the medical examination to take place transparently and in front of everyone,” Naqvi said, noting that the doctors spent around 90 minutes conducting the check-up at Adiala Jail.
He added that Gohar, along with opposition leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, as well as their nominated doctors, were later invited to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where the examining doctors briefed them. Naqvi claimed the opposition delegation expressed satisfaction with the medical arrangements.
However, he alleged that Imran’s sister, Aleema Khanum, conveyed to party members that accepting the government’s arrangements would cause the issue to lose momentum.
Recalling earlier contacts facilitated by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Naqvi said the government had made it clear that Imran would be provided all medical facilities available to any prisoner under the Constitution and the law.
He said the government had asked for the name of a non-political eye specialist for the examination, but the opposition insisted that a family member accompany the doctor — a request that was accepted. He added that a person named Kasim, described as a cousin, was also allowed to attend.
Naqvi claimed that after these arrangements were made, the opposition demanded that Imran be admitted to a hospital for a week, saying they would accept nothing less.
He maintained that the authorities would hospitalise Imran for “even two weeks” if doctors recommended it. “But if the doctors do not advise admission, how can we hospitalise him merely on someone’s demand?” he said, adding that medical decisions would be based solely on professional recommendations.