Imran Khan loses vision in one eye, claims PTI leader

• Raja says legal avenues fully exhausted.
• Bushra Bibi facing fabricated cases: Raja.
• "PTI founder jailed for thousand days."

ISLAMABAD: PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Wednesday claimed that the party founder, Imran Khan, had lost the vision in his one eye due to alleged torture in prison and faced serious health risks in custody.

“Today, all doors of justice appear closed,” Raja told reporters outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, alleging that the PTI founder had been imprisoned for 1,000 days and was being denied basic constitutional rights.

The claim comes days after Khan was administered a fourth intravitreal eye injection at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on April 28 as part of his ongoing follow-up treatment.

The jailed PTI founder was diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition, according to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by his lawyer and the court's amicus curiae, Salman Safdar.

The condition occurs when the main vein draining blood from the retina becomes blocked and is often associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

During today's media talks, Raja alleged that meetings with the PTI founder and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were being restricted and that even court orders regarding visitation rights were not being implemented.

“Signatures on vakalatnamas are being blocked, while only selected individuals are allowed to meet him,” Raja claimed, adding that the PTI founder’s sisters were also not being permitted meetings despite his “serious health condition”.

The PTI leader further alleged that Bushra Bibi was facing “false cases”, including Toshakhana-related references, which he claimed were based on statements of government witnesses.

“We have filed petitions in the Supreme Court, but there is no hearing taking place,” Raja said, adding that the party had exhausted all legal avenues and would now take its case before the people of Pakistan.

Referring to the broader political situation, Raja said the country needed stability, claiming the economy had been destroyed and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was “drenched in blood”.

“There were no such restrictions even during the British era,” he said, while alleging that the judiciary had been weakened and judges were being transferred to other provinces as punishment.