Gohar visits hospitalised Shah Mahmood Qureshi

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan visited the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Thursday to inquire about the health of senior party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is undergoing medical treatment.

Gohar was accompanied by Qureshi’s son and Member of the National Assembly (MNA), Zain Qureshi.

The former foreign minister was shifted from Kot Lakhpat Jail to the PIC after reportedly becoming dizzy and collapsing while walking inside his prison barracks. According to party sources, he sustained injuries to his knee and arm in the fall.

Prison authorities collected his blood samples and sent them to Shaukat Khanum Hospital for testing. However, the results are still awaited.

Qureshi’s lawyer, Rana Mudassar Umar, said his client had fainted and fallen a few days earlier. Doctors initially kept him under observation at the PIC before deciding to admit him for further medical examinations and treatment.

Umar added that an application had been filed with the anti-terrorism court regarding the matter. However, court holidays had delayed further proceedings.

Earlier, Zain Qureshi had urged prison authorities to arrange a CT scan for his father to assess his medical condition. He also requested that his father be taken to a dentist for treatment of a cracked tooth.

The PTI core committee had also raised concerns over Qureshi’s health following his fall in prison. During a meeting last week, the committee called on the government, courts and prison authorities to ensure his immediate medical examination, hospital transfer and appropriate treatment.

This is not the first time Qureshi has required hospital treatment during his imprisonment. In May 2025, he was taken to the PIC after complaining of chest pain and breathing difficulties. He also underwent gallbladder removal surgery at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute in December 2025.

Qureshi has remained in custody since August 2023 and faces several cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots. In July 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court indicted him in a case registered by Shadman police over an alleged attack on and arson at a police station.

His daughter, Meher Bano, recently expressed concern over his health, saying she learnt about his fall through relatives who had visited him in jail. She has also demanded his release, maintaining that he is facing politically motivated and false charges.

Meanwhile, PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, were released from Kot Lakhpat Jail on Thursday. They had been detained since September 21 under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

Imran Khan was also shifted from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) overnight between November 10 and 11 for treatment of an eye condition. He subsequently met his lawyers at the prison on Wednesday.

Following the meeting, senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa said discussions had also covered the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment. However, he did not reveal Imran Khan’s views on the proposed legislation.