• Demands his immediate CT angiography at Shifa International Hospital
• Seeks disclosure of ex-PM’s complete medical records
• 22 former Test cricketers write to PM Shehbaz, call for providing court-ordered treatment

ISLAMABAD: Following reports that jailed PTI founder Imran Khan could not undergo a recommended computed tomography angiography (CTA) during a hospital visit this week, his party on Sunday condemned the authorities over a “continued failure” to carry out the procedure and demanded that it be conducted immediately at Shifa International Hospital.

When the PTI founder was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in the early hours of Friday for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations, doctors recommended a CTA of the heart, but hospital staff reportedly said the facility was unavailable.

After undergoing other tests, he was subsequently shifted back to Adiala Jail without the CTA, which can help detect coronary blockages and assess the risk of a heart attack.

Sources told Dawn that the Cardiac Centre’s conventional angiography facility at Pims was different from CTA. While conventional angiography involves inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, CTA is performed using a CT scanner.

Doctors pointed out that a 128-slice CT scanner had been operational in Pims’ radiology department since March 2022 and was capable of performing CTA. The test is generally conducted by radiologists on the recommendation of clinicians. A senior doctor said the patient should therefore have been referred to the radiology department.

Taking notice of the reports, PM Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday formed an inquiry committee headed by the establishment division secretary to establish the facts and fix responsibility.

On Sunday, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a written response to Dawn, reiterated the party’s demand that Mr Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital without delay, as directed by the Supreme Court on Aug 18.

Mr Akram cited details submitted to the court, saying a government medical board had examined Mr Khan on Aug 10, while a Pims cardiologist had recommended CT coronary angiography on Aug 1 because of fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, restlessness and the potential risk of cardiac complications associated with his age and prolonged isolation.

“Even the government’s own doctorsconsidered this diagnostic test necessary,” he said.

“Yet, when Imran Khan was taken to Pims, the procedure was not performed. Hospital officials claimed that the required facility was unavailable, despite the presence of a functional CT scanner in the radiology department capable of conducting the test,” he alleged.

‘Troubling pattern’

Mr Akram said the reports had “intensified concerns regarding repeated delays and apparent negligence in providing Imran Khan with timely and appropriate medical care”.

“A former prime minister was taken to a government hospital in the middle of the night, assessed by doctors who recommended an essential cardiac investigation, and then returned to Adiala Jail without the test being conducted. This cannot be dismissed as an isolated administrative lapse. It reflects a deeply troubling pattern,” he added.

“When the necessary facilities were available at Shifa International, deliberately taking Imran Khan to a hospital where the required facilities for the procedure were not available raises a grave and unavoidable question: was the decision made in advance to prevent the CTA from being conducted?” he asked.

“The authorities must explain why he was not taken to the facility specifically identified for his medical care and why he was sent to a hospital where the recommended test could not be performed.”

Mr Akram also rejected the government’s assertions that Mr Khan had been receiving adequate medical care.

Former captains voice concern

Separately, 22 international cricketers, including 21 ex-captains, have written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asking that Mr Khan be provided the necessary medical treatment, in line with recent Supreme Court directives, Cricinfo reported.

The letter’s signatories included Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Michael Gatting, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh and John Wright.

In their appeal, they said they were writing “not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field“ and that they did not seek to adjudicate Pakistan’s domestic legal processes.

The 22 former cricketers called for permitting the medical board directed by the Supreme Court — including the PTI founder’s own doctors — to complete a full and independent assessment of his health, particularly the reported loss of vision in his right eye.

They also asked the government to honour the weekly family visits reinstated by the court without interruption or administrative delay, and asked that Mr Khan be provided the recommended treatment without delay following the outcome of his medical assessment.Earlier this year, 14 of the signatories had written a similar letter to PM Shehbaz, expressing concern over Imran Khan’s health and conditions in prison.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026