By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - For 999 days, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has remained behind bars -- a confinement his supporters describe as a slow, calculated destruction of Pakistan's most popular opposition leader. As dawn broke on April 30, 2026, Khan's 999th day in detention, his party and family issued desperate pleas for justice, medical care, and basic human dignity.

The country's most popular political leader, despite multiple court orders granting him relief, remains imprisoned in Adiala jail, his health deteriorating by the day. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is also incarcerated, reportedly suffering from a deadly eye disease that could lead to permanent blindness.

Barrister Salman Akram Raja, Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a prominent lawyer, addressed the media on Wednesday with visible anguish.

He demanded that the Islamabad High Court hear the appeals filed by Khan and his wife seeking suspension of their sentences in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

"We request that our appeals be heard by the Islamabad High Court. Regarding the appeals for suspension of sentences in the Al-Qadir Trust case of Imran Khan Sahib and Bibi Bushra, we hope that a decision will be made in accordance with justice," Raja said.

But behind the legal language lies a grim reality. Eighteen hearings have already taken place in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Not a single formal hearing has been conducted on the bail application, according to Khan's lawyer.

"There are extremely alarming reports regarding Bibi Bushra's health. She is suffering from a deadly disease in her eye, which is not being properly treated. We demand that Bibi Bushra be allowed to receive treatment from doctors of her own choice," Raja demanded.

- A man being isolated to death

Khan's own medical condition has become a national shame, according to his supporters. The former cricketer star-turned-politician has reportedly lost 85%  of vision in one eye.

His dental pain remains untreated. He has been denied access to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad despite repeated pleas from his family, his legal team, and his millions of supporters.

On April 21, PTI presented Khan's case before the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva. The committee's recommendations are due to be finalized by tomorrow. In an urgent appeal posted on social media, Khan's supporter Sabreena wrote on X:

"UN Committee Against Torture recommendations are due to be finalised by tomorrow. We respectfully urge UN experts to issue strong, urgent recommendations on Pakistan's Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's solitary confinement, arbitrary detention, and blindness caused by neglect."

The statement added: "Since we presented this case to the UN in Geneva on 21st April, Imran Khan has again been taken to hospital not long after midnight yesterday without his family being informed. Contrary to official claims, witnesses describe him as weak and suffering untreated dental pain. This man and his wife are being isolated to death."

- Orders ignored, contempt unheard

On March 24, 2025, a three-member bench of the Islamabad High Court issued an order regarding meetings with Imran Khan. That order has never been implemented, Raja told reporters.

"Hearings are not being held on our contempt of court petitions filed against this. Since December, not a single meeting with Khan Sahib's sister has been allowed."

Raja made a direct appeal to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi: "I once again request that our appeal be heard. If it cannot be heard, then the Supreme Court should acknowledge it and inform the public that we cannot stand before this oppression."

The crackdown extends far beyond Khan. Hundreds of PTI supporters and senior leaders remain imprisoned since long time, with courts routinely denying bail.

Senior politicians including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmood ur Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Umar Sarfraz Cheema remain behind bars. According to Raja, there is no corruption case against any of them.

"They have been targeted for revenge," he said.

Ijaz Chaudhry, who is suffering in diseases, remains incarcerated. Mahmood ur Rashid's bail petition has been rejected. The party lawyer called the situation "fascism" -- hundreds of workers and leaders still waiting to get justice from courts.

Khan's supporters have openly accused certain judges of failing to provide justice, alleging that some judges are acting under government pressure to keep the PTI chairman behind bars. The accusation is painful and unprecedented -- that Pakistan's judiciary, once a beacon of hope, has become an instrument of political vengeance.

"The treatment being meted out to the country's most popular leader is intolerable," Raja said. "The entire nation is deeply concerned about this. We are not being given any accurate information regarding Imran Khan's eye treatment, and this is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances."

He warned of nationwide protests: "We will stage protests across the country, which will soon become evident. We will not accept this in any way and will not allow it to be normalized."

As Khan approaches 1,000 days in confinement, the Pakistani government has issued no official statement or formal response regarding the PTI leader's press conference or his supporters' accusations of mistreatment of Khan in jail, including the failure to provide proper medical treatment and justice.

- Behind the crisis: Pakistan's economic nightmare

The political turmoil unfolds against a backdrop of severe economic instability. Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Saudi Arabia to request $3 billion to repay a loan owed to the United Arab Emirates.

According to diplomatic sources, relations between Pakistan and the UAE have deteriorated after Islamabad signed a defense pact with Riyadh and publicly stood behind Saudi Arabia. In response, the UAE demanded that Pakistan immediately repay $3.5 billion -- a crushing demand for a country already gasping for economic breath.

Saudi Arabia ultimately rescued Pakistan, but the episode exposed the fragility of the nation's finances. Yet even as the government scrambles to keep the economy afloat, critics ask: Why is Imran Khan still in jail? Why are his bail pleas not being heard? Why is a 74-year-old former prime minister, already half-blind, being denied medical treatment?

As the clock ticks toward Khan's 1,000th day in detention, his supporters maintain a painful vigil. They share updates on social media. They demand justice from courts that refuse to hear them. They beg international bodies to intervene.

They wait for a hearing that never comes. They wait for a judge with courage. They wait for a system to remember what justice means.

For Imran Khan, confined in a jail cell, his eyesight fading, his wife suffering beside him, the wait continues -- day 999, and no end in sight.