‘Isolation Taking Physical Toll, Needs Hospitalisation’: Ex-Pak Prez Raises Concerns Over Imran Khan's Health

Islamabad: Former Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Tuesday expressed concern over jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s deteriorating health, saying his medical reports indicated anxiety, palpitations and elevated blood pressure.

In a post on X, Alvi said, "Imran Khan's medical reports are alarming. I have gone through them with several specialists, and I am writing this in plain language so every Pakistani can understand exactly what is happening.

Alvi said he was particularly concerned about Khan’s anxiety and stress, heart palpitations and elevated blood pressure. He added that although the report did not mention insomnia, the medicines prescribed suggested he may be experiencing sleep problems.

"I have known Imran Khan for more than 35 years. Stress was never his weakness. That it is now at peak levels tells you everything about what three years of imprisonment and total isolation have done to him," the former Pakistani president said.

Alvi linked Khan’s stress to the political situation in Pakistan, the imprisonment of his associates, those who have been convicted or killed, and his own isolation from newspapers, books and outside information. He also expressed concern over Khan’s increased heart rate, noting that it had reached 54 beats per minute, higher than his usual resting rate.

"His heart rate is 54 bpm. Doctors will call that 'normal.' It is not normal for him," Alvi said, adding that Khan had also reported heart palpitations.

Alvi said Khan "needs a 24-hour Holter monitor immediately" and called for proper daily monitoring of his blood pressure.

He also recommended several medical tests, including a stress test, echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, cardiac artery calcium scan and cardiac CT angiogram, along with other tests if indicated.

"I am deeply worried. Isolation is taking a physical toll on his body. If this is not addressed immediately, the damage may become irreversible with more complications to follow," Alvi said. Calling for Khan to be moved to a hospital, Alvi said, "@ImranKhanPTI definitely needs to be moved to a hospital environment now, under an independent panel of doctors."

"Neither his family nor the people of Pakistan trust government-appointed doctors alone," he added.

"The next three months will decide whether his condition is reversed or becomes permanent," Alvi said. He further said, "We all are alarmed. The country needs him more than ever before."

Meanwhile, the eye condition of the jailed former Pakistan prime minister has improved significantly and his vision has returned to “almost normal”, prison authorities told the Supreme Court on Monday.

The report was submitted a day before the apex court was scheduled to hear Khan’s plea seeking treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital, a leading private medical facility. Khan has been in jail since August 2023.

Uncertainty over the well-being of Khan has intensified over the past few months. Last week, a Pakistani journalist made an explosive but unverified claim that the jailed leader “might have died” in custody.

Wajahat Saeed Khan, a Pakistani journalist currently based in the United States, claimed in an interview that three senior military sources had told him that Imran Khan was “no longer with us”. However, the journalist also acknowledged that the information could not be independently verified and that his sources had themselves heard it through informal channels.

Questions over Khan’s health and access to his family have been mounting for months. His family members and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have repeatedly alleged that authorities have restricted their access to the former premier.

The PTI has also claimed that Khan has not received adequate medical care for his health problems, including an eye-related condition.

(With inputs from ANI)