The personal physician of former Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday that while a team of doctors has reported an “improvement” in Khan’s eyesight, he is unable to independently verify the claim because authorities have not allowed him access to the jailed.

Dr Aasim Yusuf made the comments in a video posted on X, a day after eye specialists examined Khan at Adiala prison in Rawalpindi. The examination was conducted following directives from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, reports UNB.

Yusuf said prison medical staff informed him by phone on Sunday that Khan’s eye condition had improved and outlined the treatment provided since late January, when the former premier underwent a procedure at a hospital in Islamabad after reporting partial vision loss.

He said he would have been “extremely happy” to confirm the reported progress but stressed that he had neither seen Khan nor been involved in his care. “Because I have not examined him personally or spoken to him, I cannot confirm or reject the accuracy of what we have been told,” he said.

Yusuf also recommended that any further medical care be carried out at a hospital in Islamabad.

Separately, cabinet minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on X that a comprehensive medical checkup was conducted inside Adiala prison and that doctors concluded Khan’s eyesight had improved, with no major complications detected.

Concerns over Khan’s vision arose after the government disclosed he had undergone a minor eye procedure. The Supreme Court subsequently directed his lawyer, Salman Safdar, to meet him in prison.

Safdar later told the court that Khan had lost about 85% of vision in his right eye, triggering protests by supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Islamabad and other cities. Some PTI lawmakers and allies have staged a sit-in outside parliament, demanding that Khan be transferred to a hospital.

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case. He was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

The former premier has claimed his ouster was the result of a US-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and the military — allegations denied by Washington, Pakistan’s armed forces and his opponents, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Despite ongoing legal battles, Khan remains a key political figure with significant public support.