PTI Demands Imran Khan’s CT Angiography at Shifa Hospital
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has demanded that its incarcerated founder, former prime minister Imran Khan, undergo a recommended CT coronary angiography at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, escalating an ongoing dispute over his medical treatment. The party raised the demand after reports that the cardiac diagnostic procedure was not carried out when Khan was taken from Adiala jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences during the early hours of Friday.
Doctors examining Khan at Pims had recommended CT coronary angiography, a non-invasive imaging test used to assess coronary arteries and identify possible blockages. According to information reported from the hospital, the procedure was not completed before Khan was returned to prison. Medical sources also noted that Pims has a 128-slice CT scanner in its radiology department that has been operational since 2022 and is capable of carrying out the examination when clinically required.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded to the controversy by forming an inquiry committee headed by the establishment division secretary. The committee has been tasked with establishing the circumstances surrounding the hospital visit and determining responsibility for any failure in coordination or implementation of the recommended medical procedure.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said on Sunday that Khan should be transferred to Shifa International Hospital without further delay. He referred to an August 18 Supreme Court order directing the authorities to shift the former premier to the private hospital for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. PTI maintains that the subsequent decision to take Khan to Pims instead requires a transparent explanation.
Akram said medical assessments conducted earlier in August had already raised the need for coronary imaging. He cited concerns including fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations and other symptoms that prompted a cardiologist to recommend the test. The party has asked that the procedure be conducted under independent medical supervision and in the presence of Khan's personal physicians, while also demanding that his medical records and diagnostic results be made available to his family, doctors and legal representatives in accordance with applicable court directions.
The government has disputed PTI's account of the hospital transfer. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar previously said security conditions involving PTI workers near the planned route and Shifa International Hospital led authorities to change arrangements. He said Khan was examined at Pims by qualified specialists and was assessed as medically fit. Pims later stated that specialists from Shifa International participated in the former premier's eye assessment while other examinations were handled by relevant Pims doctors.
The controversy follows months of concern over Khan's health, including treatment for a right central retinal vein occlusion that became public earlier this year. The Supreme Court's August 18 directions required a specialised medical board to examine him and allowed his sister Dr Uzma Khan and personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan to be present. The government sought a review of the order, arguing that transferring a prisoner to a specified private hospital raised legal and prison-management issues. An initial review filing was returned over procedural deficiencies, and a fresh petition was subsequently submitted.
The latest dispute is likely to keep Khan's medical treatment at the centre of Pakistan's political and legal debate. Attention will now focus on the findings of the prime minister's inquiry committee, the handling of the government's review petition and whether authorities arrange the recommended CT coronary angiography at Shifa International Hospital. The outcome could also determine whether further proceedings are initiated over compliance with the Supreme Court's hospital-transfer directions.