Imran Khan’s sister Noreen falls into under-construction drain in Rawalpindi

Imran Khan’s sister falls into drain during jail visit attempt

Tensions surrounding access to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan escalated sharply after yet another attempt by his family and party leaders to meet him was blocked by police, deepening a standoff that has played out repeatedly in recent weeks.

Scheduled family visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays have been consistently obstructed, even as his relatives persist in trying to see him. On the latest occasion, Noreen, accompanied by senior figures from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was stopped at Dahgal Naka while heading towards Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan remains in custody.

According to a report by the Express Tribune, As the group attempted to make their way across a construction site on foot, Noreen lost her footing and fell into a drain being built along Adiala Road as part of a sewerage project. She was pulled out and moved to safety.

Another woman, identified as Sadaf, also fell into the drain and suffered serious injuries. She was later shifted to a government hospital for urgent medical treatment.

Imran Khan has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail since August 2023 following a series of convictions and legal proceedings that came after his removal from office in 2022. He was first arrested in August 2023 and sentenced to prison on corruption-related charges. Since then, he has received multiple sentences, including a 17-year term in the Toshakhana corruption case and a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case — both of which he and his party insist are politically motivated.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for follow-up eye treatment, specifically the second dose of an anti-VEGF intra-vitreal injection.

Before the procedure, he was examined by a medical board of specialists, including a consultant cardiologist who carried out echocardiography and an ECG.

Last week, a separate medical board reported improvements in his eyesight and did not advise transferring him to hospital. According to his medical report, obtained by The Express Tribune, vision in his right eye has improved from 6/36 to 6/9, while his left eye remains at 6/6 with glasses. The evaluation was conducted by Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif following a detailed examination at Adiala Jail.

The report stated that the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and the cornea clear. It noted mild intragel haemorrhage at the edge of the right eye and moderate retinal haemorrhage across all four quadrants.

Swelling in the macula of the right eye was subsiding, with macular thickness reduced from 550 to 350 microns. The board outlined continued medication and treatment, recommending OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completion of anti-VEGF therapy. No recommendation was made for his transfer to hospital, the report added.