PTI demands immediate cardiac care for IK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday demanded “immediate and independent” cardiac care for the founder of PTI. PTI information secretary Sheikh WaqasAkram demanded that the “recommended CT coronary angiography (CTA)” be immediately performed at the Shifa International Hospital under the supervision of independent doctors and Imran Khan’s personal physicians. Khan had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in the early hours of last Friday for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations where the doctors had recommended that Khan underwent the CTA, but PIMS staff reportedly said the facility was unavailable there. After doctors at PIMS conducted some other tests, Khan was taken back to Adiala Jail without undergoing the CTA, which can help identify coronary blockages and assess the risk of a heart attack. Akram also demanded complete implementation of the Supreme Court order concerning Khan’s comprehensive medical examination and treatment at the Shifa International Hospital. The PTI information secretary demanded “a transparent and independent investigation into why Imran Khan was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa International and why the recommended CT coronary angiography was not conducted”. According to a statement issued by PTI media cell, Akram said that a government medical board had examined Khan on August 10 following complaints of palpitations and heaviness in the head. “A PIMS cardiologist had already recommended CT coronary angiography on August 1 due to fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache, restlessness and the potential risk of cardiac complications arising from his age and prolonged isolation, ” he said. “Even the government’s own doctors considered this diagnostic test medically necessary, ” Akram said. “Yet when Imran Khan was taken to PIMS, the procedure was not performed. PIMS officials reportedly 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 said. He said the incident had heightened 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, ” said the PTI information secretary. He said that the specialist medical services required were available at the Shifa International Hospital. Akram said that despite Supreme Court’s order concerning Imran Khan’s comprehensive medical examination and treatment at the Shifa International Hospital, “the authorities chose not to take him there and instead took him to a facility where the CT coronary angiography was not conducted”. “When necessary facilities were available at Shifa International, deliberately taking Imran Khan to a hospital where the required procedure was not available raises a grave and unavoidable question: was the decision to prevent the CT coronary angiography from being conducted made in advance? ” 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, ” asked Shaikh Waqas Akram. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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