ISLAMABAD: Quiet backchannel facilitation by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi enabled contacts between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to implement the Supreme Court’s order regarding the eye examination of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, though the process faced repeated delays due to shifting positions from Aleema Khan, The News reported.
Sources said Naqvi, who is considered close to the top military establishment, played the central role in bridging the communication gap at a time when formal engagement between the two sides was nonexistent, facilitating an arrangement aimed at ensuring a mutually agreed medical evaluation of the PTI founder at Adiala jail.
Under the understanding reached, the government agreed to constitute an independent medical board comprising multiple doctors, while allowing PTI to nominate one independent physician. PTI nominated Dr Nadeem Qureshi, a name accepted by the authorities.
The government also invited PTI to nominate a family representative to witness the process. According to sources, the PTI — in consultation with Aleema Khan —initially nominated Qasim Zaman, a nephew of Imran Khan, as the family representative.
The government agreed to the name of Qasim Zaman, but this nomination was later withdrawn by Aleema Kha,n and it was conveyed that Dr Nausherwan Burki should instead attend in that capacity. While these exchanges were continuing in the background, Aleema Khan was sharing different posts on social media.
Sources maintained that while a PTI-nominated independent doctor could be included in the board, a family doctor could not be accommodated as a representative, and asked PTI to nominate a non-doctor family member instead.
The changes, sources said, caused delays and uncertainty, surprising even some PTI leaders and figures within the broader opposition who were monitoring the process. PTI also proposed that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for admission.
The government responded that hospitalisation would depend solely on the recommendation of the medical board and that the Supreme Court’s order did not mandate admission in advance.
Officials conveyed this position to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, emphasising the need for a consistent approach.
After the opposition did not finalise an alternative arrangement, the independent medical board, including PTI’s nominated doctor, proceeded to Adiala Jail to examine Imran Khan. PTI was invited to send a representative to observe the examination, but none arrived at the time.
Following the examination, Gohar and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were taken to meet the doctors and were briefed on the findings. The government also facilitated doctors, who examined Khan, to have telephonic consultations with PTI-associated Lahore-based physicians — Dr Asim Yusuf and Dr Khurram Mirza.
The board found no serious eye condition, recording vision of 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other, and recommending mild corrective glasses.
Originally published in The News
