Imran Khan suffering from hearing loss and vertigo in prison

Imran Khan is suffering from hearing loss and vertigo while serving a prison sentence for corruption, according to a medical report seen by VOCAL MEDIA.

The conditions are not considered life-threatening, close aides of Pakistan’s former prime minister’s say, but they have fuelled fresh concerns about the 72-year-old cricketer turned politician’s deteriorating health.

Imran Khan is serving 14 years in prison over a corruption case in which he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were accused of receiving land as a bribe from a real-estate tycoon through a trust they had set up while he was in office.

Prosecutors say the Al-Qadir Trust was a front for Khan to illegally receive land from the businessman. Both Khan and Bibi pleaded not guilty to the charges, while Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said the land was not for personal gain and was for the spiritual and educational institution the former prime minister set up.

Imran Khan has repeatedly complained of unsanitary conditions in his cell.

“The level of oppression and authoritarianism is such that even the water I have for ablution is filthy and contaminated with dirt, unfit for any human being,” Khan has said.

Syed Zulfikhar Ali Bukhari, the PTI leader, said confinement was making Khan ill.

“Jail authorities cut power to his cell for around 22 hours a day, to leave him drenched in sweat, and render him weak, so he can suffer,” he said.

“He is being subjected to mental torture. They want to break him so that he could give in to their demand to be quiet and accept the current regime,” Bukhari said.

Dr. Ahmad Hassan, at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi, said that Khan had bilateral tinnitus, which was more severe in the left ear, and sensorineural hearing loss.

“Tinnitus [is] likely noise induced and vertigo a few weeks back was likely BPPV [Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo],” noted another ENT specialist, Dr Kashif Mable, who advised Khan to avoid exposure to loud noises.

Khan’s family doctor visited him in July last year, but since then requests for medical check-ups made by the party and his family have been rejected.

He has not been allowed weekly phone contact with his sons Suleiman, 28, and Qasim, 26, who both live in London. In July, they went to Washington to lobby the Trump administration into putting pressure on the Pakistan government and allowing them to meet their father. The Pakistan government had threatened to arrest them if they tried to visit him.

Khan was removed from power in a 2022 no-confidence vote. He has been embroiled in more than 150 criminal cases most of which have either been dropped or he has beaten, except for the land case and another on charges of inciting supporters to rampage through military facilities to protest against his arrest on May 9, 2023.

Khan continues to command a devoted following, with his imprisonment triggering protests across the country since his arrest.

He has denied any wrongdoing and says all the charges against him are politically motivated.

His supporters say his downfall was another example of Pakistan’s generals meddling in politics to secure their preferred choice to lead government.

Observers note that the treatment of Khan raises broader concerns about the state of democracy in Pakistan. Critics argue that using harsh prison conditions to silence political opponents undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in institutions. For many, his suffering is symbolic of a wider struggle for freedom of expression and political independence.

Human rights groups have also raised alarms, stating that denying medical treatment and family contact to a prisoner, regardless of the charges, violates international norms. Calls for transparency and accountability in the treatment of prisoners like Khan have been growing louder, both domestically and abroad.

Political analysts suggest that Khan’s continued popularity, despite his imprisonment, reflects deep dissatisfaction among Pakistan’s citizens. His ability to mobilize mass protests even from behind bars demonstrates that his influence is far from diminished. Many believe this makes him both a target and a threat to the political establishment.

The uncertainty around Khan’s health, legal battles, and political future leaves Pakistan in a state of volatility. With his party supporters vowing to continue their demonstrations, the country faces an increasingly polarized environment. Whether Khan survives his imprisonment in reasonable health, or whether his condition worsens, will likely have a profound impact on the trajectory of Pakistan’s politics.