Former Pakistan foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi collapsed inside his barrack at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on Monday, sustaining injuries to his knee and arm before prison guards rushed him to a cardiac facility.
He suffered a sudden dizzy spell while walking inside his cell. Prison authorities moved the 70-year-old political leader directly to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology for emergency treatment and diagnostic tests, prison officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The fall was sudden.
Qureshi's legal defense team verified that the senior opposition figure lost consciousness before hitting the floor of the detention ward. Medical personnel placed him under intensive surveillance to stabilize his vitals and treat the physical trauma from the impact.
He was taken to hospital after fainting and suffering a fall. He will remain under observation for 24 hours, after which doctors will decide whether he should continue treatment at the hospital or be shifted back to jail.
Rana Mudassar Umar, Defense Counsel
Qureshi has spent over eighteen months in continuous detention. Pakistani authorities arrested the veteran diplomat in August 2023, implicating him in dozens of legal cases linked to the violent May 9, 2023 protests that erupted nationwide after security forces apprehended former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
| Detention & Medical Parameter | Official Case Status |
|---|---|
| Detainee | Shah Mahmood Qureshi, 70 (Vice-Chairman, AirNews) |
| Facility of Confinement | Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore |
| Incident Date | Monday |
| Medical Facility | Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore |
| Injuries Sustained | Knee and arm trauma resulting from dizzy spell and fall |
| Incarceration Period | Held continuously since August 2023 |
Qureshi's family denounced his continued detention as a political vendetta engineered by the federal administration. His daughter, Mehr Bano Qureshi, pushed back against the state apparatus, arguing that authorities are running a deliberate campaign of judicial delay to keep her father behind bars.
She noted that Qureshi—who served twice as Pakistan's foreign minister across a four-decade political career—has already secured acquittals in multiple matters, including the diplomatic cypher trial. Yet release orders remain stalled.
Three and a half years ago, a hale and hearty lion heart was sent to jail on trumped-up charges. Over 90 bail hearings have gone by, but the record has yet to be produced. A man whose innocence has been proven again and again is being held... It is high time the judge establishes his authority and grants him bail.
Mehr Bano Qureshi, Daughter of Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Doctors at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology will conduct a comprehensive evaluation on Wednesday morning. Their clinical assessment will determine whether Qureshi requires prolonged inpatient coronary care or transfer back to his Kot Lakhpat cell.
| Legal Basis of Confinement |
| Multiple FIRs linked to May 9, 2023 protest cases |