January 30, 2026
ISLAMABAD – Speaking to Geo News, Tarar said the former premier, who is imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad for a “20-minute” medical procedure on the night of January 24.
“Eye experts examined him in Adiala jail, after which they recommended that it was necessary to take him to Pims for a small medical process. Last Saturday night, he was taken to Pims on the recommendation of these eye doctors and experts,” Tarar said.
He added that at Pims, Imran’s “eyes were further examined, and after his written approval, a 20-minute medical procedure was performed”. The ex-premier was then taken back to the Adiala jail with “important instructions”.
“During the medical procedure, his vitals and everything were stable. He’s absolutely healthy,” Tarar stated.
The minister asserted that “all prisoners” have access to doctors and medical treatments when such an issue arises. “This is in accordance with the [jail] rules, and he is absolutely healthy,” he added.
Asked about the concerns raised regarding Imran’s health, Tarar reiterated that the PTI founder was “absolutely fine”.
The minister stressed that it was the medical experts’ opinion to take Imran to Pims for a medical procedure. “He is absolutely fine, and he was also perfectly fine when this medical procedure was being performed.”
On Tuesday, the PTI said it had learned through credible reports that Imran had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, “resulting in a dangerous blockage in the retinal vein”.
Citing medical experts, the party had said that if not treated promptly and properly, CRVO could cause permanent damage to his eyesight.
Also on Tuesday, PTI MNAs filed a fresh petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Imran.
According to a senior doctor at Pims, Imran was brought to the hospital under strict security on Saturday night for the procedure, which took quite some time.
“Whatever procedure was going on, it was completed when the time reached in the A.M. So we can say that he was taken back on Sunday,” he claimed.
The doctor said there was “extraordinary movement” on Saturday night, and the operation theatres and the anaesthesia room were cordoned off ahead of Imran’s arrival at Pims.
PTI condemns Imran’s ‘secret transfer’
Responding to the minister’s statement, the PTI said it strongly condemned the act of “secretly transferring” Imran to Pims, deliberately keeping his family and the party leadership uninformed and refusing access to his personal physicians.
The party declared it an act of “clear malice, bad faith, and a grave unconstitutional and illegal move”.
It said that according to Tarar, the PTI founder had requested medical treatment.
“If this is indeed the case, then why was such a request concealed from his family, party leadership, and legal counsel? The PTI, therefore, demands that this alleged request be made public immediately and presented before his family and lawyers,” it said.
“Secretive actions, suppression of information, and restrictions on meetings are unacceptable under any circumstances. The PTI demands that meetings with Imran Khan be arranged without delay and that his personal physicians be granted full and unconditional access,” it added.
“The treatment being meted out to a former elected prime minister and the country’s most popular national leader is a blatant violation of the Constitution, the law, democratic norms, and fundamental human rights. The Punjab government and the jail administration are deliberately disregarding court orders and are pushing the country toward a dangerous and volatile crisis,” it said.
The party warned that if the federal government, the Punjab government and the Adiala jail authorities failed to immediately allow meeting with Imran and access to his personal doctors, then the “full responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with them”.
“Public patience is being severely tested, and a public reaction against this unconstitutional, illegal, and inhumane conduct is becoming inevitable,” it said, adding that it would continue to protect Imran’s constitutional and human rights.
It also penned an open letter to human rights organisations about the violation of Imran’s rights, saying: “The deliberate secrecy surrounding a detainee’s medical condition and location constitutes bad faith, malice, and a clear violation of international custodial standards, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.”
It urged the rights organisations to take cognisance of Imran’s situation; demand unrestricted access for his family, lawyers, and personal physicians; call for an end to solitary confinement and custodial abuse; and rrge Pakistani authorities to ensure fair, transparent, and timely judicial proceedings.
Further, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) termed Imran’s transfer to the hospital without the knowledge of his family and personal physicians a “criminal negligence”.
It demanded that the details of Imran’s condition be disclosed to his family immediately, and said any “delay or irresponsibility” in this regard “will not be tolerated”.
It said that not providing him access to his personal physicians was a “violation of court orders”. It added that the silence of state institutions on Imran’s health was “alarming”.
Former opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said, “The fascist regime is denying medical treatment to PM Imran Khan in Adyala. This is against all norms of human rights. The judiciary is unable and unwilling to enforce its writ.”
He said that Imran’s personal physicians, family members and lawyers should be given immediate access to Imran.
Imran’s sister demands his medical reports be made public
Prior to Tarar’s confirmation, Imran’s sister Noreen Niazi had raised concerns about why the PTI founder’s family and lawyers were not being kept informed if the reports of his medical treatment were true. She also asked for his medical reports to be made public.
“I am a sister, and today my question is directed towards the corridors of power,” Niazi said on X this morning.
“According to multiple journalists and media sources, our brother, Imran Khan, was taken under the cover of the night to the Pims hospital on the pretext of eye treatment. He was kept there for three hours, and then transferred back to Adiala jail in an atmosphere of extreme mystery and terrifying silence,” she stated.
Contending that it was a “blatant crime” if the reports were true, Niazi asked: “Why does no one have the courage to tell the truth to Imran Khan’s family and lawyers? Who is this being hidden from, and on whose orders?
“What treatment is our brother being subjected to inside the jail, and why are our family and lawyers being kept in the dark?”
Niazi again demanded that Imran’s family, personal doctors and lawyers be allowed to meet him, adding that “make his complete medical reports public”.
“This is no longer a request, it is a final warning!” she stated.
Asserting that Imran was “not just another prisoner”, his sister alleged, “To endanger his health is nothing less than an attempt to blind the entire country.”
“Remember, if even the slightest harm comes to Imran Khan’s eye, this injustice will not be buried in silence. After that, no one else’s eyes will remain safe,” Niazi added.
Separately, Imran’s son Kasim Khan claimed that “authorities continue to block his treatment and deny him the doctors he trusts”.
“I am even denied the right to speak to him. This is not governance. This is authoritarian cruelty,” he said on X.
Claiming that his father had now spent over 900 days in a “death cell with no family visits and no access to his personal doctors, Kasim stressed that CRVO could “lead to permanent vision loss if not treated through urgent medical intervention in a proper hospital”.
The son called on human rights defenders to “act before it is too late”.
“The world must see that in Pakistan today, democracy is hollow and basic human rights are being crushed,” he added.