Imran Khan Health Scare: What Do Arif Alvi’s ‘Alarming’ Medical Claims Actually Show?

Fifty-four heartbeats a minute have triggered a fresh political storm in Pakistan.

Former president Arif Alvi says Imran Khan’s latest medical reports reveal rising blood pressure, palpitations and extreme psychological stress after three years in prison. He has warned that the damage could become irreversible and demanded that Khan be moved immediately to a hospital.

But one number alone cannot diagnose a medical crisis. A resting heart rate of 54 can be entirely normal, especially for someone with Khan’s lifelong athletic conditioning. Palpitations, fluctuating blood pressure and severe anxiety, however, could justify closer assessment. The larger problem is trust. Khan’s family and party do not trust government-appointed doctors. The authorities dispute claims that he has been denied care. And the complete medical records on which Alvi based his warning are not publicly available for independent scrutiny. Here is what is known, what remains a claim and what doctors would need to establish.

What has Arif Alvi claimed?

Alvi said he had examined Khan’s medical reports with several specialists and found them “alarming”. The former president, who is a dentist by training and a senior member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, identified four principal concerns: acute anxiety, elevated stress, heart palpitations and high blood pressure. He also suggested that Khan may be suffering from sleeplessness, although he acknowledged that insomnia was not expressly recorded in the report. He inferred it from the medicines prescribed. “I have known Imran Khan for more than 35 years. Stress was never his weakness,” Alvi wrote on X.He argued that prolonged imprisonment, isolation, restrictions on information and concern over jailed or killed colleagues had pushed Khan’s stress to unprecedented levels. Alvi recommended continuous heart monitoring and a battery of cardiac investigations, including an echocardiogram, stress test, cardiac MRI, coronary calcium scan and CT angiogram. He called for Khan to be shifted to a hospital and examined by an independent panel of doctors rather than relying exclusively on medical professionals appointed by the state.

Have Khan’s complete medical reports been made public?

No authenticated copy of the complete report cited by Alvi was publicly available for independent examination as of Tuesday morning. That distinction matters. The public currently has Alvi’s interpretation of the findings, not the full medical history, medication list, laboratory data, electrocardiogram or repeated blood-pressure readings needed to assess their clinical significance. There has also been no independent medical statement confirming that Khan faces an immediate cardiac emergency. Alvi’s warning should therefore be treated as a serious demand for further examination, not a settled diagnosis.

Is a resting heart rate of 54 dangerous?

Not necessarily. A resting pulse below 60 beats per minute is technically described as bradycardia, but that does not automatically make it abnormal or dangerous. The American Heart Association says a heart rate below 60 does not always signal a medical problem and is common among athletes whose hearts pump more efficiently. The Mayo Clinic similarly notes that a resting pulse between 40 and 60 can occur in healthy adults and trained athletes without producing symptoms or complications. Khan captained Pakistan’s cricket team, remained physically active for decades and has historically had a low resting pulse. In isolation, a reading of 54 would not establish that his health has deteriorated. Alvi’s argument is more specific: he says 54 is high for Khan, whose pulse was historically even lower. That could reflect stress, medication, reduced physical conditioning, illness or ordinary variation. Its meaning cannot be determined without reliable baseline records and clinical context.

Why are the palpitations more significant?

Palpitations are the sensation of feeling one’s heart pound, flutter or beat irregularly. They can arise from anxiety, stress, medication, caffeine or sleep deprivation, but they can also accompany an abnormal heart rhythm. The symptom does not prove heart disease. It does justify investigation when it recurs, particularly in an older patient with high blood pressure or other risk factors. Alvi has called for a 24-hour Holter monitor, a portable device that continuously records the heart’s electrical activity. Such monitoring can help establish whether the palpitations coincide with an arrhythmia that a brief examination might miss. An electrocardiogram and basic blood tests would typically help determine whether further imaging is warranted. The need for every advanced scan Alvi proposed would have to be decided by a cardiologist after examining Khan and reviewing the initial results.

What about the reported high blood pressure?

Alvi described Khan’s blood pressure as elevated and said it required proper daily monitoring, but his public statement did not provide a complete sequence of verified readings. A single high result may be influenced by stress, anxiety, pain, medication or the circumstances in which the measurement was taken. Persistent hypertension is established through repeated readings over time. This is where transparent records become crucial. Daily measurements could show whether Khan’s blood pressure is consistently uncontrolled or merely fluctuating during periods of distress. Without that data, the severity of the claim cannot be independently assessed.

Could imprisonment and isolation damage his health?

Yes. Prolonged isolation and uncertainty can cause significant psychological strain and may aggravate sleep problems, anxiety, blood pressure and the perception of palpitations. Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum, who is a doctor, said after a rare visit in December 2025 that he appeared physically healthy but was experiencing severe isolation and psychological pressure, Reuters reported. Alvi claims that Khan has been cut off from newspapers, books and reliable information about events outside prison. The precise conditions of his present detention remain disputed by his family, party and the Pakistani authorities. Psychological stress can produce genuine physical symptoms. That does not mean every symptom is caused by stress, which is why independent clinical assessment is important.

Has Khan faced serious health problems in prison before?

Yes. Khan developed central retinal vein occlusion in his right eye, a blockage that can damage vision. His lawyers told Pakistan’s Supreme Court in February that he had lost about 85 per cent of the sight in that eye. The court ordered a medical panel to examine him, AP reported. Khan was later taken under heavy security to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for an eye procedure. The hospital said he was clinically stable and received an intravitreal injection before being returned to prison, according to The Independent. The government maintained that he received appropriate treatment. His family and PTI argued that the intervention came late and without sufficient transparency. That earlier dispute explains why Alvi’s latest warning has found a receptive audience among Khan’s supporters.

Is Khan being denied access to his family and doctors?

His family says yes. Pakistan’s government says no. Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, told CNN in early August that family members, lawyers and doctors had not been permitted to meet him for seven months and that they had no reliable update on his condition. Their remarks were also reported by Dawn. The Pakistani government “categorically” rejected the allegation of a seven-month communications blackout and said Khan had received repeated access to visitors and medical care. Khan’s personal physician has reportedly faced prolonged restrictions, while government-appointed medical teams have examined and treated him. The dispute is therefore not simply over whether Khan has seen a doctor. It is over whether his family can obtain independent medical access and verify what state-appointed doctors report.

Why is Alvi demanding an independent medical panel?

Because every official health bulletin has become politically contested. Khan’s family and PTI fear that government-appointed doctors may understate his condition. The authorities regard some of the party’s warnings as an attempt to build political pressure for his release. An independent panel acceptable to both sides could examine Khan, review his complete medical history and issue a clinical assessment insulated, as far as possible, from the political battle around him. It could also resolve the immediate questions: Are the palpitations linked to an abnormal rhythm? Is his blood pressure persistently high? Has his medication changed? Is isolation worsening a clinically diagnosed anxiety or sleep disorder? Does he require hospitalisation?

Why does Khan remain in prison?

Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. He also faces other pending proceedings linked to the unrest of May 9, 2023. He and PTI describe the cases as politically engineered to prevent his return to power. Pakistan’s government rejects that charge and says the cases are being decided by the courts. Khan served as prime minister from 2018 until April 2022, when he was removed through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Despite his imprisonment, he remains Pakistan’s most consequential opposition leader, making every question about his health inseparable from the country’s political crisis.

Is Imran Khan facing an immediate medical emergency?

The available public evidence does not establish one. A pulse of 54 is not, by itself, alarming. Alvi’s concerns about palpitations, blood pressure and severe stress deserve proper investigation, but the underlying records have not been independently verified. That leaves Pakistan trapped between competing claims when the solution is straightforward: allow a credible independent medical team to examine Khan and publish an agreed clinical summary. The question should not be whether his supporters trust the government or whether the government trusts his supporters. It should be whether Pakistan can trust the medical evidence.

(With inputs from ANI)