Two senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been admitted to hospitals in Lahore due to deteriorating health conditions while in custody. Senior PTI leader Mian Mahmood-ul-Rashid was urgently transferred from jail to Jinnah Hospital Lahore after complaining of severe chest pain and breathing difficulties. Initial medical examination revealed a chest infection, sources said.

Hospital officials reported that Rashid’s condition is now stable, but a battery of tests including blood work, X-rays, and CT scans —are underway to assess the infection's severity and underlying causes. A team of chest specialists is overseeing his treatment, and doctors have advised complete bed rest. Separately, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi was shifted to Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) Hospital on October 28 after being diagnosed with gallstones.

According to medical reports, the stones have enlarged, increasing the risk of infection spread. Speaking informally to the media from the hospital, Qureshi revealed that jail doctors in Adiala Jail had first identified the gallstones while he was in solitary confinement. “I wondered where I would get the surgery done,” he said, adding that the delay had allowed the condition to worsen.

Qureshi is under the care of Dr. Faisal Saad, with diagnostic tests ongoing. Doctors have recommended gallbladder surgery, scheduled to take place within the next one to two days. “I pray for the safety of the country,” Qureshi said before concluding his brief interaction.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)