ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the string of deadly Easter day bombings in Sri Lanka which have so far killed more than 280 people and injured at least 500, including four Pakistanis, in a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in three cities.
The foreign ministry confirmed that three Pakistani women and a child were injured in the blasts. All four sustained minor injuries and were discharged after receiving treatment.
“Strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday resulting in precious lives lost & hundreds injured. My profound condolences go to our Sri Lankan brethren. Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with Sri Lanka in their hour of grief,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a twitter post.
Hours after the bombings, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to Sri Lankan Prime Minster Ranil Wickremesinghe to express his deepest condolences on behalf of Prime Minister Khan, and extended Pakistan’s help and support to the government and people of Sri Lanka.
A statement from the foreign office said Qureshi had conveyed sympathies to the victims’ families and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
In their conversation, he also said that as a victim of prolonged terrorism, Pakistan “fully understands the pain of their Sri Lankan brethren”
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombings in a country which has seen a lull in major attacks since the end of its civil war 10 years ago, during which time bomb blasts in the capital were common.
The Sri Lankan government declared a curfew and has blocked access to most major social media and messaging sites on a day that is celebrated by Christians around the world as the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on the cross.
Pakistan condemns Easter Day bombings on Sri Lanka churches, hotels
Pakistan condemns Easter Day bombings on Sri Lanka churches, hotels
- Four Pakistanis among injured
- Foreign minister Qureshi speaks to Sri Lankan Prime Minister to express solidarity
Imran Khan’s party, government trade claims over ex-PM’s health and jail access
- Khan’s party cites eye ailment media reports, demands family access, medical details
- Government says health of all prisoners a priority, accuses PTI of politicizing issue
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition party led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday raised fresh concerns over his health and jail access, saying his family had been kept uninformed about a reported medical condition, while the government rejected the allegations and accused the party of politicizing a routine prison matter.
The dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of Khan’s incarceration, which has become a central fault line in Pakistan’s polarized politics. Khan, a popular leader who was prime minister from 2018-22, has been in prison since August 2023 following a series of convictions he and his party say are politically motivated. His detention has repeatedly triggered legal challenges, protests and claims of mistreatment, all of which the government denies.
On Tuesday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on social media platform X it had "credible" reports that he had been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion in his right eye, which it described as “a dangerous blockage in the retinal vein.” Quoting medical experts who had examined him in prison, the party warned the condition could lead to permanent damage to his eyesight if not treated properly.
Pakistan’s leading English-language daily Dawn reported on Wednesday that Khan had been taken from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a major public hospital in Islamabad, late Saturday night and returned to prison on Sunday.PTI leaders said neither Khan’s family nor the party had been informed of the alleged hospital visit or his medical condition.
“We were not even informed whether he was taken outside the jail or not, what was his illness and what was done and who examined him,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told Arab News after a press conference in Islamabad.
“That is really a serious matter for all of us.”
He demanded that authorities immediately facilitate a family meeting with Khan and provide full details of his treatment.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said Khan’s family had been denied access to him for nearly two months.
“So Mr. Imran Khan is being kept in isolation for long periods of time,” he alleged.
Concerns over Khan’s health are not new. In November last year, his sisters publicly raised alarm over rumors that he had died in custody, claims the government dismissed at the time. Khan’s sisters last met him in December.
Responding to the latest claims, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik neither confirmed nor denied that Khan had been taken to PIMS, but said the health of all prisoners was a government priority.
“The majority of health facilities are available at the jail hospital while some others may not be available,” Malik told Arab News.
“In such cases, prisoners can be treated outside the jail and this is a routine matter.”
He said Khan was entitled to all facilities under prison rules and, as a “superior-class” inmate, was examined daily by medical staff.
Addressing PTI’s demand that Khan’s family should have been informed of any hospital visit, Malik said prison authorities were responsible for medical decisions.
“The family does not need to be informed unless it is a life-threatening situation,” he said, adding that Khan was “generally in good health for his age.”
Malik accused PTI of using Khan’s health as a political tool, alleging the party routinely violated Islamabad High Court orders by speaking to the media after jail meetings and creating security concerns outside prison premises.
“Why do they not comply with court orders? Why do they always speak to the media outside the jail and create law and order situations?” he asked.
Khan, who was ousted from the PM's office through a parliamentary vote in April 2022, has since accused Pakistan’s powerful military of colluding with his political rivals to remove him from power and keep him imprisoned. The military denies the allegations and says it does not interfere in politics.
Khan’s health and access dispute comes against a backdrop of multiple high-profile convictions.
In December 2025, a special court in Rawalpindi sentenced Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years’ imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 corruption case, involving alleged fraud over state gifts received from foreign dignitaries, with fines also imposed on both.
Earlier in January 2025, an accountability court convicted Khan and Bibi in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust land corruption case, sentencing him to 14 years and her to seven years after finding that the trust was used to acquire land and funds in exchange for alleged favors.
Khan and his allies deny wrongdoing in all cases, saying they are politically motivated, and legal appeals are ongoing.
