'Not within four walls of law': Pak law minister on Khan hospitalisation order

The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government will challenge the Supreme Court's order directing the transfer of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to a private hospital, as law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar confirmed in a video message on Wednesday. According to news agency Reuters, the Pakitan Supreme Court had ordered the government to move Khan to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital within two days and allow him access to his personal physician.

“This order is not within four walls of the law,” Tarar said in a video statement. He said authorities had reviewed the ruling and decided to approach the court seeking a review. “A convicted prisoner has to be treated either inside the jail or at a public hospital according to law,” Tarar said, adding that the review petition would seek a modification of the order.

The move could end hopes of Imran Khan’s family and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which have repeatedly sought better healthcare and visitation rights for the former PM. It could also trigger public discontent over his treatment in custody. Recently, Imran Khan supporters staged widespread protest over Khan's imprisonment against Islamabad government.

Khan, 73, has been jailed in Rawalpindi since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases that he says are politically motivated. He was removed from office in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan's powerful military establishment under army chief Asim Munir's influence. The Supreme Court order came after former president Arif Alvi raised concerns over World Cup winning captain and former PM's medical condition. Alvi also shared Khan's vitals on X. Imran Khan's sons have also repeatedly expressed concern about his deteriorating health, while his lawyers have claimed he suffered significant vision loss in his right eye while in prison.