ISLAMABAD (AP) — A team of doctors treating Imran Khan has reported “improvement” in his eyesight, his personal physician said Monday, but added he could neither confirm nor deny the assessment as Pakistan's authorities have not granted him access to the imprisoned former premier.
Dr. Aasim Yusuf made the remarks in a video message posted on X a day after a panel of eye specialists examined Khan at Adiala prison, in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, following an order from Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
Yusuf said prison doctors briefed him by phone Sunday about an “improvement” in Khan’s eye condition and the treatment he has received since late January when Khan underwent a procedure at a hospital in Islamabad after complaining of partial vision loss.
Yusuf said he would have been “extremely happy” if he could verify the reported improvement.
“Unfortunately, because I have not seen him myself and have not been able to participate in his care or speak with him, I am unable to either confirm or deny the veracity of what we have been told,” he said.
He also called for any further treatment to be carried out at a hospital in Islamabad.
Cabinet minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry wrote on X on Monday that a detailed medical examination of Khan was conducted inside the Adiala prison and the doctors found that the eyesight of Khan had improved and “no major complications have emerged."
Concern about Khan’s eyesight surfaced when the government said he had undergone a brief eye procedure. It prompted the Supreme Court to direct Khan’s 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, alarming supporters in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, who have staged protests in Islamabad and other cities demanding Khan's transfer to a hospital. Some PTI lawmakers and allies have also held a sit-in outside parliament since last week.
Khan, 73, has been held at prison since 2023 following a conviction in a graft case. He was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
Khan alleges his ouster resulted from a U.S.-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and the military — claims denied by Washington, Pakistan’s military and political opponents, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan.
Despite his legal challenges, Khan remains a central political figure with a strong support base.
FILE - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan gives a press conference at his home, in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath saw his gold-medal hopes slip away in the Olympic slalom and decided to send his ski poles sailing along with them.
After tossing each pole over the netting, he then climbed the fencing on the side of the Stelvio course to begin his long walk toward the wilderness. It was part of an Olympic meltdown that turned the men’s slalom into high-tragic theater Monday.
As the first-run leader, McGrath was the last to go among the top-30 racers. He had a medal within his sights — until he straddled a gate and was out. He lost a medal and then control of his emotions in a race won by Loic Meillard of Switzerland.
Once McGrath reached the forest, he sat down in the snow and then fell back, breathing heavily. A medical person came over to check on him.
McGrath later arrived in the finish area and walked away without talking.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” said his teammate, Timon Haugan, who finished fourth. “He's doing everything perfect. He did a very good first run, put himself in a position to win the Olympic gold. He does everything right and then that happens in 15 seconds."
Bronze medalist Henrik Kristoffersen, McGrath's Norwegian teammate, knows the feeling. Kristoffersen was leading the slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games only to ski out in the second run.
“In the end, it’s another ski race. In the end, it’s not going to make or break Atle's career,” Kristoffersen said. "He is a great skier. If he keeps going like he’s going, he will have great success for the future. This is just our sport.
“That’s how it goes sometimes. I’ve been in this exact same position, and done the same thing (skied out). And yes, it hurts. But it is what it is.”
Kristoffersen understands McGrath's outburst, too.
“That's allowed,” he said. “This is sports. What are sports without the emotions?”
Meillard felt the same way.
“I’ve been in his place other times — slalom is so tough,” Meillard said. “You can be the best in the start and straddle the first gate. The beauty of slalom is that when it works out it’s beautiful. I was definitely sorry for him, but at the end, all the times he won when I skied out — that’s part of the game.”
McGrath has been racing with a heavy heart, with his grandfather dying the day of the opening ceremony. He wore an armband as a tribute.
“What he's gone through these last 10, 12 days, it's been really tough,” Haugan said. “He's been really sad. He started to do better and today he's going through ... we need to really back him up today.”
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath walks off the course after skiing out during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath arrives at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath walks off the course after skiing out during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath walks off the course after skiing out during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
