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Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that Imran Khan was moved back to Adiala Jail early on Friday following an overnight examination at Shifa International Hospital where a team of specialists including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician found the 73-year-old medically fit. Tarar noted that Khan’s sister Azma Khan remained present for all stages of the checks, which fulfilled part of a recent court directive allowing family visits after months of restrictions. The area surrounding the hospital had been sealed with police barriers, officers and armoured vehicles to prevent any disturbances during the transfer.
The Supreme Court directed on Tuesday that Khan be shifted from Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail to the private hospital within 48 hours for evaluation by a medical board, according to the detailed written order reported by Dawn newspaper. The court observed that available medical synopses indicated a deterioration in his condition and stressed its obligation to protect the health and dignity of prisoners, quoting that it was mindful of the constitutional requirement to safeguard life, health, dignity and security. Pakistani authorities challenged aspects of the ruling by filing a review petition arguing for examination at a public facility instead, as detailed in reports by Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.
Khan’s legal team has long raised alarms about his access to specialist care, citing conditions such as significantly impaired vision with only 15 percent remaining in his right eye as of February according to his lawyers. A jail superintendent’s report submitted to the Supreme Court recently highlighted elevated blood pressure, prompting PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to call for an immediate hospital transfer and access to personal physicians during a press conference covered by The Express Tribune. PTI statements have emphasised that any medical procedures must include family members and the former prime minister’s doctors to align with constitutional and jail regulations.
Imran Khan has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023 after his arrest on corruption charges that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party insist were fabricated to sideline him from politics. He has confronted charges in more than 100 cases covering allegations from leaking state secrets to mishandling official gifts, with several convictions including a 17-year sentence shared with his wife Bushra Bibi issued late last year. The developments triggered large protests by his supporters that authorities met with a widespread crackdown, including arrests of numerous party leaders.
The Supreme Court explicitly instructed PTI not to hold press conferences or allow supporter gatherings outside the hospital to avoid politicising the medical visit, a point reiterated in the order and subsequent briefings. Judges had also specified involvement of an eye specialist in the treatment plan while directing that full examination reports be submitted for the next court hearing. Security measures remained elevated throughout the hospital stay to enforce these conditions.
PTI leaders described the court intervention as a step forward for addressing their founder’s wellbeing even as they continued to accuse the government of prolonged negligence in medical provisions, according to party statements and local coverage. The party had organised demonstrations outside the Supreme Court earlier in August to press for faster resolution of both health-related petitions and other pending legal matters. Khan retains a substantial following in Pakistani politics despite his incarceration, with his influence persisting through the PTI’s organisational network and public appeals.
