ISLAMABAD: Bushra Khan, the jailed wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, has undergone surgery on her right eye at a private hospital after being diagnosed with retinal detachment, a jail official said on Friday.
The medical procedure, which took place on Thursday evening, follows a series of complaints by Bushra’s family and the opposition party founded by her husband ex-PM Khan regarding her deteriorating health condition at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where she has been incarcerated since Jan. 2025.
A jail official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the former first lady had complained of blurred vision.
“The jail administration took immediate notice and conducted an examination by eye specialists,” the official told Arab News. “Subsequently, retinal detachment was diagnosed in the right eye.”
Doctors advised surgery and she was shifted to a private hospital in Rawalpindi on the evening of April 16, according to the jail official. The procedure was performed by Dr. Nadeem Qureshi and a panel of specialists after the patient gave her consent.
“Following the surgery and a one-night hospital stay, the patient was discharged in satisfactory condition,” the prison official said, adding that the former first lady has since been moved back to Adiala Jail.
Bushra’s sister and daughters also met her at the prison on Friday, following her surgery, according to the official. The meeting lasted for more than an hour.
Adiala Jail authorities declined to comment on the record on the development.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party meanwhile expressed “deep alarm” over Bushra’s health condition.
“Bushra Bibi’s health has reportedly deteriorated significantly, raising serious concerns about her well-being,” the party said in a statement released on Thursday evening.
“Her condition warrants immediate and sustained medical attention, including a thorough and independently verified assessment by qualified physicians.”
The party also called for the involvement of her personal doctors and family in her ongoing treatment.
Bushra has been in and out of detention since January 2024, with significant periods of imprisonment and house arrest. She is currently serving a 17-year sentence, as of December 2025, in a case involving the sale of state gifts when her husband Imran Khan was premier. Khan’s PTI have consistently questioned the conditions of her confinement and access to health care.
Widely regarded as a spiritual guide and close confidante to Khan, Bushra remains a central figure in the former premier’s personal and political life.
As of mid-April 2026, Khan has himself also been imprisoned for over two and a half years following convictions in multiple cases. He is currently serving sentences at Adiala jail, with legal challenges including cases related to corruption and state secrets, which he maintains are politically motivated.
