Newsletters
Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered Tuesday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan be moved from jail to a hospital, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said, meeting a longstanding demand from his family and party over concerns about his deteriorating health.
The Supreme Court issued the interim order after reviewing petitions related to Khan's health and hearing from his family members, according to Geo News. Khan is to be transferred under tight security from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he has been held, to Shifa International Hospital.
He is to remain at the hospital until the next hearing, with a medical board ordered to be formed to examine him and issue a full health report.
Khan's sister and personal physician are to be present during his treatment and examination.
Justice Shahid Waheed said Khan, 73, would be moved within the next two days to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
Khan's spokesperson, Naeem Haider Panjutha, said on X that the court directed Khan to be moved within 48 hours and remain hospitalized until Sept. 16.
PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the ruling a positive step.
"It's a very welcome order, and we wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much," Bukhari said.
"He should remain in the hospital until all doctors are satisfied," he added.
Khan's sons repeatedly expressed concern about his deteriorating health last year, with his lawyers saying he had lost significant vision in his right eye while in prison.
He received eye treatment at a hospital earlier this year, with his family and lawyer saying he has lost most of his vision in his right eye.
Cricket greats from around the world, including from India, called for better treatment for Khan in February, expressing "deep concern" about his prison conditions.
Adiala Jail authorities recently submitted a report to the Supreme Court on Khan's health, according to local Pakistani media reports, with jail officials reportedly telling the court his vision was "almost normal now."
Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases he says were politically driven following his ouster in an April 2022 no-confidence vote.
He was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, removed amid a political crisis over tensions between his government and Pakistan's military establishment.
Khan was first arrested by paramilitary forces in Islamabad on May 9, 2023, by Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
His arrest triggered nationwide protests in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and other cities, some of which turned violent. 9 people were killed and more than 290 injured in the unrest that followed.
Khan was released on bail by court order on May 12, 2023.
He was arrested again by police on Aug. 5, 2023, following a court's detention order in a corruption case, and has remained in jail since, facing multiple cases and prison sentences.
Khan and his wife were both sentenced late last year to 17 years in prison.
Some convictions have since been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. Khan denies wrongdoing.
PTI won power in 2018 and retains a large support base across key provinces, but it was stripped of its election symbol ahead of the 2024 vote, forcing its candidates to run as independents.
Claims that Khan had been released from Adiala Jail circulated widely on social media beginning Aug. 16, generating significant engagement.
The false release messages were also linked online to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
An open-source review found no content confirming Khan's release in official or credible news outlets.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
