Pakistan Supreme Court orders former PM Imran Khan to be moved to hospital

Pakistan’s top court has ordered imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to be moved to a hospital amid intensifying concerns about his health.

The Supreme Court issued the order after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and his family raised concerns about his health, citing medical reports from the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where the 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been held since August 2023.

The court directed Khan to be moved to the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours, and to be kept there until September 16, reports quoted PTI spokesman Naeem Haider Panjutha as saying. Khan’s family members have been allowed weekly meetings with him.

The court also directed a medical board to be formed, which will include Khan’s personal physician, and his sister Uzma Khan – also a medical doctor – to look into his health issues.

It, however, warned against sharing the board’s medical report with the media or the public, or using it for any political purposes.

A medical report submitted by the jail administration on Monday had revealed that a doctor from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, who examined Khan on August 2, noted fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache, and restlessness.

Khan, the report said, attributed the problems to infrequent meetings with his wife and family, as well as his lack of access to newspapers and TV.

A medical board that examined Khan on August 10 recommended more frequent meetings with his wife and family, a relaxation of his prison routine, and access to newspapers, magazines, television and books.

“Stress was never his weakness,” former Pakistan President Arif Alvi posted on X on Monday. “That it is now at peak levels tells you everything about what three years of imprisonment and total isolation have done to him.”

Khan’s sons Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan have also raised concerns about his health and the restrictions on meeting him.

Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until he lost a no-confidence vote in 2022 – reportedly at the behest of the US, because he was too friendly to Russia. His imprisonment sparked nationwide protests, some of which turned violent.

He was found guilty of illegally buying and selling state gifts in 2023, although the sentence was later suspended. In 2024, he was sentenced to ten years for leaking state secrets, a charge he has denied.

Khan and his political allies have maintained that the cases against him are politically motivated and intended to prevent his return to politics.

PTI, which retains a large support base, was stripped of its election symbol ahead of the 2024 vote.

In February, over a dozen cricket greats, including from India, appealed to Islamabad for more “humane” treatment for Khan amid reports that his health was deteriorating.