A day after the government confirmed that Imran Khan had undergone an eye procedure, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday demanded that authorities allow the party’s founding chairman to be examined by a retina specialist.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar clarified on Thursday that Imran was in good health following a successful medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

The statement came in response to concerns raised by the PTI regarding the former prime minister’s eye ailment.

The information minister said an eye specialist initially examined Imran within the Adiala jail. Upon the specialist’s recommendation for a minor medical treatment, he was shifted to the PIMS last Saturday night.

Addressing the media outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad today, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the government got the eye procedure of Imran conducted at the PIMS, where no retina specialist exists. “It’s concerning that there’s no retina specialist at the PIMS,” he stated.

After Imran suffered from illness, he might have been medically checked a couple of times, but neither family nor family physician was told about it, he said, adding that due to his condition, he was even brought to the PIMS.

After denying for several days, a government minister confirmed the news of his medical procedure, he maintained.

He also expressed the hope that Imran’s meeting with his personal physician will be held soon.

“How can we trust those who have imprisoned Imran and Bushra Bibi illegally will take care of them?” he asked.

Senior PTI leader Salman Akram Raja said Imran was not being provided his fundamental rights, as the entire procedure of conducting eye surgery on Imran at PIMS was kept secret.

“Then, upon pressure from different circles, the government admitted that an eye procedure was conducted on Imran,” he said.

Thursday, as per law and court ruling, is the day of the meeting, but nobody was allowed to meet Imran, Salman said.

He said Imran’s personal physician and Shaukat Khanum’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Asim Yousaf, and retina expert Khurram Mirza had also come from Lahore and stayed outside Adiala for two hours, but they were also denied meeting him.

“It is imperative to get Imran checked by a retina expert,” he said, adding that the SC registrar and attorney general had assured that a positive step would be taken in this regard.