Islamabad [Pakistan], August 18 (ANI): Former Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Tuesday claimed that imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s health has deteriorated, saying his medical reports were alarming and expressing concern over his anxiety, palpitations and high blood pressure.
In a post on X, Alvi said, “Imran Khan’s medical reports are alarming. I have gone through them with several specialists, and I am writing this in plain language so every Pakistani can understand exactly what is happening.”
Alvi said the issues that worried him most were Khan’s “anxiety and stress levels”, “palpitations,” and “high blood pressure,” adding that sleeplessness was not mentioned in the report but likely indicated by the medications he was taking.
“I have known Imran Khan for more than 35 years. Stress was never his weakness. That it is now at peak levels tells you everything about what three years of imprisonment and total isolation have done to him,” he said.
Alvi attributed Khan’s stress to the situation in Pakistan, the imprisonment of his colleagues, those sentenced and killed, as well as his own isolation and lack of access to newspapers, books and information from outside.
He also raised concerns over Khan’s heart rate, saying it had risen to 54 beats per minute (bpm) compared with his historically lower resting heart rate.
“His heart rate is 54 bpm. Doctors will call that ‘normal.’ It is not normal for him,” Alvi said, adding that Khan had also reported heart palpitations.
Alvi said Khan “needs a 24-hour Holter monitor immediately” and called for proper daily monitoring of his blood pressure.
He also recommended several medical tests, including a stress test, echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, cardiac artery calcium scan and cardiac CT angiogram, along with other tests if indicated.
“I am deeply worried. Isolation is taking a physical toll on his body. If this is not addressed immediately, the damage may become irreversible with more complications to follow,” Alvi said.
Calling for Khan to be moved to a hospital, Alvi said, “@ImranKhanPTI definitely needs to be moved to a hospital environment now, under an independent panel of doctors.”
“Neither his family nor the people of Pakistan trust government-appointed doctors alone,” he added.
“The next three months will decide whether his condition is reversed or becomes permanent,” Alvi said. He further said, “We all are alarmed. The country needs him more than ever before.”
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan remains behind bars, while his sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, have raised concerns about their father’s access to family, lawyers and doctors.
“We have no updates because his family, doctors and lawyers haven’t been allowed to see him for seven months,” they told CNN earlier this month.
The statements coincided with nationwide demonstrations staged across Pakistan by supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, demanding the immediate release of the party’s founder and his spouse, Bushra Bibi.
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 until he was ousted through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, has been incarcerated since 2023 following convictions in several cases, including graft charges and the alleged disclosure of official secrets.
Khan and his political aides have consistently maintained that the legal proceedings are politically motivated to block his political return.
Following his removal, Khan led nationwide rallies alleging that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration conspired with Pakistan’s military establishment and Washington to remove him. The Pakistani administration subsequently launched a crackdown against the PTI leadership and supporters, barring the party from participating in the 2024 general elections.
Khan’s supporters have repeatedly alleged that the cases against him are politically motivated and designed to prevent his political comeback. (ANI)
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