ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health minister Abdul Qadir Patel said on Friday former prime minister Imran Khan’s mental stability was “questionable” after he shared a medical report prepared by a panel of five doctors at a leading public hospital in the federal capital.
Khan was made to undergo a medical checkup after his arrest from the Islamabad High Court by paramilitary Rangers on corruption charges earlier this month. The procedure was carried out to satisfy a legal requirement ahead of interrogation by government agencies.
The health minister informed the former prime minister’s medical examination was carried out under the supervision of five senior doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
“The report says his [Khan’s] mental stability is questionable [as] there were some inappropriate gestures,” he said while addressing a news conference in Karachi.
Patel defended the government’s decision to share the report’s findings with the public during the media talk, saying “any document is a public document in democracy.”
“His [the ex-PM’s] urine sample was [also] obtained and, according to the initial report, it contained toxic substances, including high quantities of alcohol and cocaine,” he continued.
Khan, who survived an apparent assassination attempt while leading an anti-government rally last year, said his leg was fractured by gunshot wounds. However, the health minister also questioned that claimed.
“This person had a very heavy plaster cast wrapped [around his leg] for five to six months despite his medical report showing no signs of fracture,” he said. “Tell me, if there is a wound on the skin or flesh, have you ever seen anyone wearing a plaster cast to [treat it], that too for five to six months.”
In response to a question, he said the government would also write to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), a regulatory body, to summon the doctors who said Khan’s leg had fractured.
The relation between the ex-premier and the ruling coalition continues to remain bitter since the former was driven out of power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April last year.
Pakistan’s health minister publicizes ex-PM Khan’s medical report, calls his mental stability ‘questionable’
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Pakistan’s health minister publicizes ex-PM Khan’s medical report, calls his mental stability ‘questionable’
- Abdul Qadir Patel defends the decision to unveil the report, says ‘any document is a public document in democracy’
- Minister denied ex-PM’s claims of a fractured leg after an apparent assassination attempt targeting Khan last November
Pakistan chosen for WHO program offering free cancer drugs for children
- Health ministry says Pakistan will start getting free medicines from next year
- Each year, more than 8,000 children in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been selected to join a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that will provide free, essential cancer medicines for children starting this year, the country’s health ministry said on Thursday.
The program, known as the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, aims to improve survival rates among children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries by ensuring reliable and equitable access to life-saving drugs.
“It is a matter of pride that Pakistan has been selected for this program in 2025,” Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said in the statement. “This is a major milestone in ensuring free cancer medicines for children next year.”
Each year, more than 8,000 children in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer, he continued. However, many are unable to receive timely or effective treatment due to limited drug availability, high costs and weak health care infrastructure.
The health minister noted that a large number of children die as a result of these gaps.
Kamal emphasized that Pakistan would fully utilize the support provided through the platform, calling it a unique opportunity to address local health challenges using global resources.
“Through this program, Pakistan can access international support to overcome domestic challenges in delivering timely and effective treatment,” he said.
The global platform, launched in 2022, is backed by a $200 million commitment from St. Jude and operates in coordination with WHO.
It supports countries in developing sustainable supply chains, treatment protocols and health care capacity to address childhood cancers. Pakistan is among a growing list of countries to be included as the platform scales up its outreach.
Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest
- Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been held in a Quetta prison since she was arrested on March 22
- She published a letter from jail in a US magazine, saying ‘speaking for justice is not a crime’
ISLAMABAD: The family of a detained Pakistani Baloch rights activists, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, filed a petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a provincial court ruling that upheld her arrest under public order laws, according to a local media report.
Baloch, a physician and a civil society activists, has been held at Quetta’s Hudda District Jail since March 22 after she participated in protests following a separatist militant attack on a passenger train in Balochistan.
She was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a move her supporters described as part of a broader crackdown on nonviolent dissent in the restive province.
The petition, filed by her sister, argues that the detention is arbitrary and aimed at silencing peaceful activism.
“Nadia Baloch, the sister of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to set aside the April 15 order of the Balochistan High Court that rejected the plea against her detention under the Maintenance of Public Order,” the English-language newspaper Dawn quoted from the petition.
The detained activist, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, also published a letter from prison in the US-based Time magazine this week, in which she asserted that “speaking up for justice is not a crime.”
Pakistani authorities have accused Baloch of promoting the narrative of separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in public. However, her letter in the American magazine maintained the officials had not provided any evidence of her links with BLA or any other militant group while criticizing the authorities for blurring the line between militancy and peaceful protest.
Earlier this year, the Balochistan High Court dismissed Baloch’s initial challenge to her detention, advising her to seek administrative remedies instead of judicial relief.
Her sister’s petition has now asked the apex court to suspend that ruling and review whether constitutional protections such as habeas corpus were ignored in the previous judicial decision.
The Supreme Court has yet to announce when it will take up the case for hearing.
Pakistan urges global protection for Gaza’s children on World Day Against Child Labor
- President Zardari says children in conflict zones need global aid, protection and justice
- PM Shehbaz Sharif also calls for stricter enforcement of existing laws against child labor
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called for urgent international support for children in Gaza, warning that thousands face displacement, hunger and heightened risks of forced labor amid ongoing conflict.
The appeal was made by President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement issued on the World Day Against Child Labor, observed annually on June 12. He said children living in war zones must be at the center of the global child protection agenda.
“These children urgently need global aid, protection and justice,” Zardari said. “In conflict-affected regions such as Gaza, thousands of innocent children have been displaced, injured or orphaned by violence. Many face hunger, trauma and the risk of falling into child labor.”
While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating child labor domestically, the president urged governments, rights defenders, media, religious leaders and philanthropists to come together and protect vulnerable children everywhere.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a separate message, said Pakistan “stands shoulder to shoulder with the international community in the fight against child labor,” but noted that implementation gaps still exist.
“This day is a reminder that we must continue striving toward a future where every child grows up in a safe and prosperous environment,” he said.
Officials say child labor remains widespread in Pakistan, especially in rural and informal sectors, depriving millions of education and exposing them to exploitation.
Sharif urged stricter enforcement of existing laws, which prohibit child labor under Pakistan’s constitution and several key statutes.
Zardari emphasized that while Pakistan has introduced reforms and protection systems, including the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and child welfare bureaus, lasting change requires collective action.
“Child labor is a global challenge,” he said. “Governments and societies must work together to protect children from exploitation and ensure they grow up in dignity.”
Pakistan PM arrives in UAE for high-level talks on strategic cooperation
- PM Shehbaz Sharif is undertaking the visit on Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s invitation
- Trip comes as Pakistan strives to deepen trade, investment relations with Gulf nations
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for a daylong official visit to the United Arab Emirates at the invitation of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Pakistani government said.
Sharif was received at Al Bateen Airport by the UAE president’s brother and national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who accompanied him to the presidential palace.
UAE’s Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Ahmed Al Shamsi, Pakistan’s Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi and senior embassy officials were also present at the airport.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Abu Dhabi on a one-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates on the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The Pakistani delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.
The trip comes amid Pakistan’s broader efforts to strengthen strategic and economic ties with Gulf countries, particularly the UAE, which is its third-largest trading partner and a key source of investment and financial support.
The UAE has played a critical role in helping Pakistan navigate recent economic challenges, including through direct deposits into Pakistan’s central bank that supported an International Monetary Fund bailout.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s foreign office a day earlier, the prime minister is expected to follow up on more than $3 billion in cooperation agreements signed during his previous visit in January 2024, covering infrastructure, energy and investment.
Sharif and the UAE presidents are also expected to discuss regional security developments. Last month, the two leaders held a phone call during which Islamabad praised the UAE’s diplomatic role in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India after a military flare-up.
‘Bellicose punchlines’: Islamabad slams India’s top diplomat over anti-Pakistan remarks in Brussels
- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar accused Pakistan of sponsoring ‘terrorism,’ asserted New Delhi’s right to retaliate
- Foreign office says India should raise the quality of its discourse instead of remaining ‘obsessed with Pakistan’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday criticized Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar for “producing bellicose punchlines” after he made a series of statements during his visit to Brussels, accusing Islamabad of sponsoring “terrorism” and asserting New Delhi reserved the right to retaliate against militant attacks.
The comments come in the wake of a recent military standoff between the nuclear-armed neighbors, involving the exchange of fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery fire. Both countries have since launched parallel diplomatic offensives, dispatching delegations to major world capitals to present their versions of events.
New Delhi suspended a longstanding river water-sharing treaty following a gun attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that it blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement, calling for an impartial international probe before India decided to launch missiles to target what it called was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.
A US-brokered ceasefire was announced by President Donald Trump on May 10, followed by Pakistan’s call for a “composite dialogue” with its neighboring state which New Delhi has so far resisted.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible remarks made by the External Affairs Minister of India during different media engagements in Brussels,” the foreign office said in a strongly worded statement.
“The discourse of top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony, rather than producing bellicose punchlines,” it continued. “The tone and tenor of a Foreign Minister should be commensurate with his dignified status.”
The ministry accused India of waging a years-long “malicious campaign” aimed at misleading the global community with a “fictitious narrative of victimhood,” adding that such rhetoric cannot conceal what it described as India’s own “sponsorship of terrorism beyond its borders” or its “state-sanctioned oppression” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
“India must also desist from concocting misleading narratives to justify its recent aggressive actions,” the statement said. “Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy. However, it stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any aggression, as exemplified by its robust response to India’s reckless strikes last month.”
Calling India’s recent remarks a sign of “sheer frustration” after what it termed an “unsuccessful military adventure,” Islamabad said Indian leaders should focus on improving the quality of their discourse rather than remaining “obsessed with Pakistan.”
“The history will judge not by who shouted the loudest but by who acted the wisest,” it added.
