IT is unfortunate that the Supreme Court was forced to intervene to order authorities to form a medical team for examining and treating an 85pc loss of vision in the right eye of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. That the apex court felt compelled to appoint lawyer Salman Safdar as amicus curiae to personally visit the PTI leader in jail to assess his health condition speaks volumes about the government’s failure to adequately respond to his persistent complaints about his deteriorating eyesight, reportedly due to a blood clot, since October and to ensure timely treatment.

For over three months, the only treatment administered to him consisted of eye drops, which yielded no improvement. Requests for access to his personal physicians were not entertained. Regular blood tests were reportedly not conducted. It is therefore hardly surprising that a condition which might have been managed or even reversed with timely medical intervention has now led to a sudden and near-complete loss of vision in one eye.

The provision of specialised medical care to Mr Khan is no longer a question of his demanding “privileged” treatment. It is about fulfilling the state’s legal obligations; it is a health and rights issue. Even the incumbent attorney general has acknowledged medical care to a prisoner is the state’s responsibility. The loss of sight in one eye is not a minor issue. It can be life-altering. Delayed diagnosis and treatment in such cases can result in irreversible damage.

The fact that the affected individual happens to be a former PM and the head of a major political party adds another dimension in terms of national significance. Pakistan’s history offers numerous precedents where politicians such as Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, among others, were hospitalised while incarcerated and, in some cases, allowed to travel abroad for treatment both on humanitarian and medical grounds, even when similar facilities were available locally. Fairness demands that the same standards apply for Mr Khan: he must not be denied any required medical facility. Not just that, he should be permitted to consult with doctors of his choice.

Political polarisation must not be allowed to obscure the principle that even an ordinary prisoner is entitled to timely and adequate healthcare. But when the detainee is a major political leader, any official neglect only deepens mistrust in the government and fuels political instability.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026