Actress Yumna Zaidi has added her voice to growing public concern over the health of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, posting a direct appeal on her Instagram stories urging authorities to free him.

 

"Release Imran Khan Sahab, it's a severe need of the time. Have some mercy," she wrote.

 

 

The appeal follows a court-appointed lawyer telling the Supreme Court that Khan retains only 15 percent vision in his right eye, a condition his legal team attributes to prolonged neglect by jail authorities at Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been held since August 2023.

 

Barrister Salman Safdar, appointed as amicus curiae by the court, visited Khan on February 10 and filed a seven-page report detailing his health and living conditions. 

 

Safdar told the court that Khan had normal 6x6 vision in both eyes as recently as October 2025, but began experiencing persistent blurred and hazy vision shortly after, which he repeatedly flagged to prison staff. His lawyers say authorities took no timely action.

 

A medical report dated February 6, signed by Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) executive director Professor Dr Rana Imran Sikander, confirmed the diagnosis: right central retinal vein occlusion, a serious blockage of blood flow to the retina that can cause irreversible damage if left untreated.

 

Safdar described Khan as "visibly perturbed and deeply distressed," noting that his eyes stayed watery throughout their meeting and that he repeatedly used tissues. 

 

The report warned that "any further delay poses a serious risk to the petitioner's well-being" and called for an immediate independent examination by specialist ophthalmologists, including Khan's own physicians.

 

The Supreme Court responded swiftly. Chief Justice Yahya Afridi ordered the formation of a medical board and directed that an eye examination take place before February 16. The court also ordered prison authorities to allow Khan to speak by telephone with his sons, Qasim and Sulaiman, both of whom live in the United Kingdom.

 

A five-member medical team visited Adiala jail on Sunday, conducting an eye examination, taking blood samples and checking Khan's blood pressure. 

 

PTI, however, rejected the check-up outright, saying authorities carried it out without the presence of Khan's family or his personal physicians.

 

Khan's personal physician Dr Aasim Yusuf said in a video statement that he had not been allowed to examine Khan himself, though he held a 40-minute call with the PIMS doctors treating him and learned that Khan had shown "significant improvement" following treatment.

 

Law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar dismissed the public alarm on Monday, saying there was "nothing as such to worry about" regarding Khan's reported vision loss.

 

PTI and Khan's family continue to demand his transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for a full independent evaluation by his chosen doctors.