Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has been shifted from Adiala jail to a private hospital in Islamabad following a Supreme Court order, after weeks of concern over his deteriorating health.
A spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Zulfikar Bukhari, said Khan was taken to International Shifa Hospital in the capital. The move came after a three-judge Supreme Court panel directed the government to transfer him to the facility within 48 hours for examination by physicians.
Bukhari said the court order also required Khan’s family to be allowed to meet him. “The next phase must therefore go beyond Imran Khan’s immediate medical treatment,” he said, calling for independent medical oversight, access to qualified specialists, respect for family and legal rights, and full transparency about Khan’s health, reported The Guardian.
Security was significantly increased in Islamabad ahead of Khan’s transfer, with hundreds of security personnel deployed around the hospital.
Khan’s family and party have been seeking specialist medical treatment for him for months. He has reported health problems including poor eyesight, prompting his family to eventually approach the Supreme Court over his medical care.
The government initially appeared divided over whether to comply with the court’s directive. However, it was required to follow the order issued by the three-member bench.
In February, PTI officials claimed Khan was suffering severe damage to his eyes and had only 15% eyesight. They also alleged that he was being held in solitary confinement and denied basic medical care, as well as access to family members and lawyers.
Adiala jail has meanwhile become a regular site of protests, with Khan’s family and supporters gathering outside to demand better medical care and meetings between the former prime minister and his sisters.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court judges said an eye specialist would be involved in Khan’s treatment. The court said it was mindful of its constitutional and legal responsibility to safeguard the prisoner’s life, health, dignity and security.
Khan’s party assured the court that its supporters would not gather outside the hospital and would allow his treatment to proceed without disruption.
In the early hours of Friday, former National Assembly speaker and Khan aide Asad Qaiser said on X that the party had decided that no workers would assemble outside Shifa Hospital after Khan’s transfer.
Qaiser said anyone who attempted to gather outside the hospital in violation of the party’s decision would have no affiliation with PTI.
Khan was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges. He was also disqualified from politics for five years.
