KP CM raises concern over absence of retina specialist at PIMS

Islamabad: Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, stated that the matter has escalated from Adiala Jail to PIMS Hospital, yet the family was not informed. He said the most serious concern is that PIMS Hospital does not even have a retina specialist.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, the KP Chief Minister said that the PTI founder underwent eye surgery, but this information was concealed from them. He was taken to the hospital, and even the timing was not communicated accurately.

Sohail Afridi added that when the PTI founder fell ill, a medical examination must have been conducted inside the jail; however, neither the family nor the lawyers were informed about this examination. He said the government continued to deny the matter for five days.

He further stated that they remained outside Adiala Jail yesterday as well. “We came to meet the Chief Justice, but instead met the Registrar. We will continue to sit here until we receive a response from inside,” he said.

The KP Chief Minister also said that they are not being allowed to meet the PTI founder and that they still have other options available.

Express News asked Sohail Afridi whether he had received the arrest warrants reportedly issued against him by a local Islamabad court. He responded that he was unaware of which warrants had been issued and in which case.

وزیراعلیٰ خیبرپختونخوا @SohailAfridiISF کی سپریم کورٹ پہنچنے پر میڈیا کے نمائندوں سے گفتگو!#AllowAccessToImranKhan pic.twitter.com/a3ftaDxNNY

— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 30, 2026

When a journalist asked what he would do if an attempt was made to arrest him from there, Sohail Afridi replied, “I actually want them to arrest me. I am ready—anyone can come and arrest me.”

Meanwhile, Salman Akram Raja said that the PTI founder was taken to PIMS Hospital, where surgery was performed, while the government continued to deny this for five days. He emphasized that the law requires authorities to inform a prisoner’s family if the prisoner is taken to a hospital.

He added that Sohail Afridi and other party members went to the jail yesterday. Despite Sohail Afridi’s name being included in the visitors’ list, he was not allowed to meet the PTI founder. “We went to meet Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, but since the Chief Justice was unavailable, we met the Registrar of the Supreme Court and subsequently the Attorney General. We have informed both officials about the PTI founder’s condition. We will remain here until we secure our right,” he said.

Latif Khosa stated that they appeal to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, saying, “You are the guardian of the justice system. There is no specialist at PIMS for a retinal rupture, and the procedure itself takes at least two and a half hours. The PTI founder is our red line, yet his family and friends are not being allowed to meet him.”