Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Fresh protests by Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi’s supporters rocked Pakistan on Wednesday, a week after a Supreme Court-appointed lawyer said the former Prime Minister, lodged in jail since August 2023, was going blind.
Thousands of Imran’s supporters, demanding his shifting from jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for specialist care, occupied Pakistan’s Attock Bridge on Wednesday, cutting off the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from the rest of the country, the media reported.
Imran’s UK-based sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, said their request for visas to visit their father has not been denied.
The blockade caused massive traffic chaos, with hundreds of vehicles stranded in long queues for hours.
The fresh round of protests came after Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) The party escalated protests amid concerns over the former PM’s deteriorating eyesight. The protesters blocked the key route connecting Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and also staged a sit-in near Parliament in Islamabad.
Imran’s sisters claimed he was being subjected to “unimaginable treatment in prison” and accused Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi of “threatening” them.
The fresh round of protests started a week after a Supreme Court-appointed lawyer said the former skipper was going blind. In a seven-page report, the lawyer said the 73-year-old, languishing in Adiala Jail since August 2023, was left with just 15 percent vision in his right eye. This led to his family demanding immediate access to him.
In addition, the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistanthe opposition alliance, has been agitating near Parliament and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in the capital.
Munir-Mohsin’s “conspiracy”
Imran’s sisters, Uzma Khan and Aleema Khan, on Tuesday, accused Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir and Mohsin Naqvi of being part of a “lethal conspiracy” to kill the former PM in custody.
“Mohsin Naqvi is threatening us; they have tasted blood. If anything happens to Imran Khan or to us, mark my words, we will not spare anyone’s future generations either,” Uzma warned.
Earlier this week, another sister of Imran, Noreen Niazi, also blamed Munir for the former PM’s deteriorating health.
“Imran Khan has endured unimaginable mistreatment under the directives of ‘Asim Law’, now facing irreversible damage to his right eye as a direct consequence,” Noreen tweeted.
On Monday, a government-appointed medical board said there was significant improvement in Imran’s eyesight. One of the two doctors also held discussions with Aasim Yusuf, Imran’s personal physician, Al Jazeera reported.
“The two doctors who met Imran in jail said he confirmed to them that he was unable to see the clock on the wall for a few weeks, but can now not only see that, but also the clock hands. According to doctors, this was an incredible improvement,” PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja told reporters.
However, Imran’s family has rejected the government board’s claims.
The Imran issue also drew global attention when a group of legendary former international cricketers, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, appealed to Islamabad to provide “immediate and adequate medical attention” to the 1992 World Cup-winning captain.
This is the second time in two months that protests over Imran Khan’s health have rocked Pakistan. In November 2025, PTI workers clashed with security forces for over two days in Rawalpindi amid rumors that Imran was killed inside Adiala Jail, where he has been lodged since August 2023 facing a web of corruption and terrorism cases.
However, the protests ended after one of his sisters was allowed to meet him inside the prison. Uzma Khan, who met Imran on December 2, said the former PM was fine but had been kept in solitary confinement.
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