Imran Khan moves to hospital under Supreme Court order

Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been transferred from Adiala jail to a hospital in Islamabad for medical treatment, following a Supreme Court order issued amid concerns about his health.

Khan, 73, was escorted under heavy security from the prison in Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital in the capital late Thursday, local media reported. Pakistan’s Geo News reported that police and security officials accompanied the opposition leader after authorities completed preparations for the move earlier in the day.

The transfer followed a ruling Tuesday by a three-judge panel of the Supreme Court, which ordered that Khan be taken to the hospital within 48 hours for examination by doctors. The panel wrote: “We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation… to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of the prisoner.”

The court order said Khan should be examined by a medical board, including his personal physician, Al Jazeera reported. Judges also said an eye specialist would be involved in his hospital treatment. According to one of Khan’s lawyers, Uzair Bhandari, Khan’s next hearing has been scheduled for September 16 and he should remain hospitalized until at least then under the order.

The Pakistani government had filed a petition against the Supreme Court’s decision, Al Jazeera reported. The government has not yet commented on the transfer, and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, known as PTI, had not released a statement, though it shared a live broadcast of preparations for the move.

Khan’s family and party have demanded for months that he receive hospital care, saying his health has deteriorated in prison. His lawyers have said he has several health problems, including poor eyesight, and has been unable to access specialist medical care. In February, one of his lawyers said Khan had only 15% vision left in his right eye after prison authorities failed to act, an allegation the government disputed.

The judges and PTI officials warned supporters not to gather outside the hospital, saying that would breach the court order.

Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team, served as prime minister from 2018 until April 2022, when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He founded PTI and remains a major figure in Pakistani politics, with a large support base despite his imprisonment.

He has been jailed since August 2023 and has faced charges in more than 100 cases, including allegations involving leaking state secrets and selling state gifts. He and his party say the cases are politically motivated. Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were both sentenced to 17 years late last year, according to the BBC.

His imprisonment has repeatedly drawn protests from supporters, including large demonstrations that were met with a crackdown by authorities. Al Jazeera reported that this hospital transfer would be the longest period Khan has spent physically outside jail premises since he was imprisoned in August 2023.