Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was shifted to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital early on Friday under tight security, local media reported.
Hundreds of police personnel, some wielding sticks, were deployed near in Islamabad, with roads leading to the clinic cordoned off.
“It’s confirmed that he has arrived at Shifa International Hospital,” Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesman for Khan’s party, told AFP. “The Supreme Court’s order has been complied with,” he added.
Pakistan’s former president and a PTI member, also confirmed ousted PM Khan’s transfer to the hospital, saying in a post on X that the whole country “is happy and dancing with joy”.
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SC order
The move followed Pakistan’s Supreme Court order on Tuesday, asking authorities to transfer Khan, 73, to Shifa International Hospital in the capital city within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.
The court also ordered the constitution of a medical board to assess and treat Imran. It also ordered that Dr Uzma and the former premier’s personal physician be present during his medical assessment and treatment, with his family to bear the expenses, Geo News reported.
Friday’s development is now seen as a potential first step toward easing tensions between Khan’s party and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which have been at odds since his ouster from office in 2022, Reuters reported
Khan, 73, and his wife, , were sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars after being charged with corruption and other crimes. Khan, who has been in jail since 2023, insists the charges were politically motivated.
Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a no-confidence vote amid a political crisis fuelled by tensions between his government and the powerful military establishment.
Why was Imran Khan shifted to hospital?
Khan’s supporters repeatedly said his health has deteriorated during more than three years in prison. His lawyers also said his health deteriorated and that he has lost significant vision in his right eye. However, the government said medical reports disclosed no condition requiring immediate treatment.
Earlier, the superintendent of Adiala jail submitted a report to the Supreme Court on the ex-premier’s health condition, local media reported.
According to the Dawn, the jail administration said in the report that adequate healthcare facilities were being provided to the couple, with their health and well-being a priority.
Medical officers visit Imran thrice a day, checking his meals and recording his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.
However, an annexure to the report stated that Dr Akhtar Ali Bandeshah of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) examined Khan on August 1 and noted complaints of uncontrolled and fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache and restlessness.
Khan had attributed his symptoms and stress partly to infrequent meetings with his wife, family and social contacts, as well as the absence of newspapers and TV, Dawn reported.
The doctor recommended measures to reduce mental stress, including more frequent meetings with his wife and access to reading material. He also recommended a CT coronary angiography and an increase in BP medication, noting that the 74-year-old PTI leader faced a risk of complications.
On August 10, the Supreme Court was informed, a medical board comprising Pims specialists examined him after he complained of heaviness in the head and palpitations, Dawn reported. It recommended a one-hour daily walk and relaxation in his prison routine, besides access to newspapers, magazines, television and books.
The board also recommended more frequent interaction with immediate family members or his spouse, saying this could help control his anxiety and blood pressure.
The report also cited his treatment for an eye condition at Pims and said his vision had almost returned to normal after intervention by senior ophthalmologists.
What’s next?
Sources told Pakistan’s Geo News that a special panel of medical experts will decide on Khan’s admission to the hospital after he was brought to the medical facility under heavy security.
PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja was quoted as saying that it is premature to say that Imran will be shifted from the hospital to his Bani Gala residence.
He said any building could potentially be declared a sub-jail, adding that such a decision could be considered if medical experts conclude that returning him to prison would be detrimental to his health.
Raja said the report submitted to the court indicated that the conditions in jail were causing anxiety for the PTI founder. “These are all possible options,” Raja said.
