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RAWALPINDI: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was stopped from meeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday. Afridi reached the Medicine Factory checkpoint on Adiala Road with several PTI leaders and lawmakers. Police stopped the delegation from moving towards the prison. The chief minister was accompanied by Mena Khan, Shafi Jan, Ahad Shah, Abdul Salam Afridi and Shahid Khattak. Police had earlier blocked Adiala Road from Gorakhpur towards the jail. Traffic was diverted to alternative routes. Afridi questioned the SHO Saddar Beroni about the restrictions. He also asked what instructions had been issued to the authorities. The chief minister remained at the checkpoint until the scheduled meeting time ended. He and the accompanying PTI leaders were not allowed to meet Imran. After the delegation left, police removed the barriers. Traffic on Adiala Road was restored. Speaking to the media, Afridi announced a protest call if he was not allowed to meet the PTI founder. He said PTI workers would come out across the country at 10pm. He urged them to gather at major intersections while carrying the national and party flags. Afridi also asked workers to stay focused on the party’s planned march towards Islamabad on September 27. He claimed that the PTI planned to bring two million people to Islamabad. He said the number could be even higher. The chief minister said the authorities should allow a meeting with Imran before September 28 if they wanted to reduce political tensions. Afridi also criticised the treatment of Imran and PTI since 2022. He accused the authorities of pushing the country towards instability because of political differences and stubbornness. He further criticised other political parties and questioned their role in the country’s political situation. The latest incident comes amid growing concern within PTI over Imran’s health and access to him. The party has repeatedly demanded that its founder be allowed to meet family members, lawyers and party leaders. Imran has remained incarcerated at Adiala Jail since 2023. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is also imprisoned. The PTI founder has faced several legal cases during his imprisonment. He and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case in December 2025. PTI has also raised concerns over Imran’s eyesight and medical treatment. Earlier this year, doctors from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences examined him at the jail. PIMS later confirmed that he had received an anti-VEGF injection for a condition affecting his right eye. A later medical examination indicated improvement in his eyesight following treatment. Imran’s sisters and PTI supporters have also held regular gatherings outside Adiala Jail on designated meeting days. However, access to the former prime minister has remained restricted in recent months. Afridi’s unsuccessful visit on Thursday is likely to further intensify the political confrontation between PTI and the authorities.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi was allowed to proceed to Adiala Jail on Tuesday to meet him after the Supreme Court directed authorities to facilitate family meetings. Noreen, along with Imran’s sisters Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma Khanum, reached the Dahgal checkpoint on the road leading to the prison. Police initially stopped all three women but later allowed Noreen to continue towards the jail. The development came shortly after a three-member Supreme Court bench ordered weekly meetings between Imran and his family. The court was hearing petitions concerning his access to relatives and personal physicians, as well as his medical condition. Noreen told reporters before leaving for the prison that she would inform Imran about the Supreme Court’s decision and the efforts made by his supporters. She did not respond when asked whether she would speak to the media after the meeting. Separately, Bushra Bibi’s daughter and sister-in-law were also permitted to meet her at Adiala Jail. The meeting was attended by Musarrat Khawar Maneka and Mehrunnisa, according to jail officials. The Supreme Court’s decision followed medical reports raising concerns about Imran’s fluctuating blood pressure, anxiety and other symptoms. The court said family access should not be treated as a favour and directed authorities to facilitate regular meetings. The court also ordered Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment. A medical board comprising an eye specialist, general physician and cardiologist will examine him, while his personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan will also be given access. His sister Dr Uzma is to be associated with the medical board. PTI representatives have agreed to comply with the court’s condition that political activity and media statements should not be conducted after meetings with Imran. Speaking at the Dahgal checkpoint, Aleema Khan welcomed the court’s decision and said the family had been demanding Imran’s hospital treatment for months. She also confirmed that Noreen had been allowed to meet him. Aleema rejected allegations that the family was using Imran’s health for political purposes. She said they were raising concerns as his sisters and seeking what they considered to be his legal rights. She further argued that Bushra Bibi should also have received similar relief. According to Aleema, the family had already given its commitment before the Supreme Court that it would not gather outside the prison or hospital and address the media following meetings. Imran’s spokesperson Niazullah Khan Niazi said the PTI founder had a right to meet his family regularly. He welcomed the Supreme Court’s directions and said the party would fully comply with the restrictions imposed by the court. The Supreme Court also directed authorities to arrange telephone communication between Imran and his children and ordered that his medical records remain confidential. The latest medical report submitted to the court stated that Imran had experienced fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, restlessness and anxiety. A cardiologist who examined him earlier this month recommended measures to reduce stress, including increased family interaction. A four-member medical board later recorded his blood pressure at 140/80mmHg and recommended walking, relaxation and more frequent interaction with his immediate family and wife. The report said Imran had undergone dozens of medical examinations since his imprisonment and was being monitored regularly by jail medical staff. It also stated that his ECG was normal and that his eyesight had improved following treatment. PTI has questioned the adequacy of the medical reports and continued to demand examinations by Imran’s personal physicians and an independent medical board. The government, however, has rejected allegations that Imran is being denied medical treatment. Government officials have maintained that he is receiving healthcare from qualified specialists and that prison meetings are being conducted according to court orders and applicable law. Imran and Bushra Bibi remain incarcerated at Adiala Jail. The former prime minister has been in custody since August 2023 and is also facing several legal cases.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has received a total budget of around Rs22 billion over the past three years, according to official budget documents obtained by Minute Mirror. The financial figures have come under scrutiny following the deadly fire in the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Ward on August 26. The incident has raised questions about the hospital’s financial management, staffing levels, maintenance and fire safety arrangements. According to the documents, PIMS was allocated Rs6.84 billion during the previous financial year. However, the hospital spent Rs7.51 billion, exceeding the allocated amount by around Rs670 million, or Rs67 crore. For the current financial year, the federal government has allocated Rs7.63 billion to PIMS. The hospital has also been provided Rs500 million, or Rs50 crore, under the repair and maintenance head in the current budget. The allocation has attracted particular attention after the fire. Questions are now being raised about whether adequate funds were used to maintain electrical systems, hospital infrastructure and fire safety equipment. The financial questions have emerged alongside a serious staffing shortage at PIMS. The hospital has 949 vacant positions against 2,451 sanctioned posts. The vacancies include 385 doctors and clinicians, 363 nurses and 201 paramedical staff. Health experts have questioned how a major public hospital receiving billions of rupees in government funding continues to face shortages of medical personnel and concerns about infrastructure and safety. They say staffing gaps can place additional pressure on existing employees and affect patient care, emergency response and hospital management. The August 26 fire has intensified these concerns. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to visit PIMS and assess the situation. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the prime minister had also ordered a high-powered investigation into the tragedy. The Establishment Division subsequently suspended National Health Services Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri for 120 days. Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Mahmood, Secretary Housing and Works, was given additional charge of the Health Secretary for three months. The developments have increased calls for the investigation to examine not only the immediate cause of the fire but also the hospital’s broader administrative and financial arrangements. A senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that authorities had repeatedly been informed about shortages of staff, equipment and safety facilities. The officer questioned whether the Rs50 crore allocated for repair and maintenance would be used to address fire safety and infrastructure requirements. The official spending figures have also raised questions about the reasons for the previous year’s expenditure exceeding the approved allocation by Rs67 crore. However, the available figures alone do not establish financial wrongdoing. A detailed audit would be required to determine how the additional expenditure was incurred, whether it was properly authorised and where the funds were spent. PIMS is part of a wider staffing problem affecting federal healthcare facilities in Islamabad. More than 1,470 positions are reportedly vacant across four major government hospitals. Besides PIMS, the Polyclinic Hospital has 439 vacant positions, the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine has 29, while the Federal General Hospital has more than 57 vacancies. The combination of large public allocations, vacant positions and concerns over hospital infrastructure has prompted calls for greater transparency in the use of government funds. The key questions now facing authorities include whether maintenance funds were adequately utilised, who authorised spending beyond the allocated budget, whether previous warnings were acted upon and whether the investigation into the PIMS fire will examine possible administrative or financial failures. A comprehensive audit and transparent investigation could help determine whether the problems resulted from insufficient resources, poor utilisation of available funds, weak oversight or administrative failures. Officials have yet to make public a detailed audit of PIMS expenditure or announce a firm timeline for filling the hospital’s vacant positions.