ISLAMABAD: Quiet backchannel facilitation by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi enabled contacts between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to implement the Supreme Court’s order regarding the eye examination of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, The News reported. However, the process faced repeated delays due to shifting positions from Aleema Khan, according to sources.
Sources said Naqvi, who is considered close to the top military establishment, played a key role in bridging the communication gap at a time when formal engagement between PTI and the government remained absent. He reportedly helped finalise an arrangement for a mutually agreed medical evaluation at Adiala Jail.
Agreement Reached on Independent Medical Board
Under the understanding, the government agreed to form an independent medical board comprising multiple doctors. It also allowed PTI to nominate one independent physician for inclusion. PTI nominated Dr Nadeem Qureshi, and the authorities accepted the name.
The government also invited PTI to nominate a family representative to witness the process. Sources said PTI, after consulting Aleema Khan, initially nominated Imran Khan’s nephew Qasim Zaman. Authorities agreed to the nomination.
However, sources said Aleema Khan later withdrew the name and conveyed that Dr Nausherwan Burki should attend instead. Meanwhile, she reportedly shared varying posts on social media during the back-and-forth discussions.
Nomination Changes Cause Delays, PTI Seeks Hospital Shift
Sources maintained that while authorities could include a PTI-nominated independent doctor in the board, they could not accommodate a family doctor as a representative. Officials asked PTI to nominate a non-doctor family member instead.
The repeated changes caused delays and uncertainty, surprising even some PTI leaders and opposition figures monitoring the process. PTI also proposed shifting Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for admission.
However, the government responded that hospitalisation would depend on the medical board’s recommendation and that the Supreme Court’s order did not require admission in advance.
Medical Board Proceeds as PTI Representative Fails to Arrive
After PTI did not finalise an alternative arrangement, the independent medical board, including PTI’s nominated doctor, visited Adiala Jail to examine Imran Khan. PTI was invited to send a representative to observe the examination, but none arrived at the time.
Following the examination, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas met the doctors and received a briefing. The government also facilitated telephonic consultations between the examining doctors and PTI-associated Lahore-based physicians Dr Asim Yusuf and Dr Khurram Mirza.
