Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to be transferred to a hospital amid growing concerns over his health and conditions in detention.
The court directed that Khan be moved within 48 hours to the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, where he is to remain until September 16, according to reports quoting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesman Naeem Haider Panjutha. Khan’s family members have also been permitted to meet him weekly.
The 73-year-old former prime minister and cricketer-turned-politician has been held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023. His family and PTI have repeatedly raised concerns about his health, citing medical reports and the effects of his prolonged isolation.
Alongside ordering the hospital transfer, the Supreme Court directed the formation of a medical board to assess Khan’s condition. The board will include his personal physician and his sister Uzma Khan, who is also a medical doctor. The court, however, warned that the board’s medical report must not be shared with the media or the public, or used for political purposes.
The order followed a medical report submitted by the jail administration on Monday. The report said that a doctor from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences who examined Khan on August 2 had recorded fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache and restlessness.
According to the report, Khan attributed his health problems partly to infrequent meetings with his wife and family and his lack of access to newspapers and television. A separate medical board that examined him 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.
Concerns over Khan’s condition have also been voiced by senior political figures and members of his family. Former Pakistan President Arif Alvi wrote on X on Monday: “Stress was never his weakness. 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 likewise raised concerns about his health and restrictions on visiting him.
Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until he lost a no-confidence vote in 2022. His imprisonment subsequently triggered nationwide protests, some of which became violent. He was found guilty in 2023 of illegally buying and selling state gifts, 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 designed to prevent his return to politics. PTI, which retains a large support base, was stripped of its election symbol ahead of the 2024 vote.
The former prime minister’s health has also drawn attention beyond Pakistan’s political sphere. In February, more than a dozen cricket greats, including figures from India, appealed to Islamabad for more “humane” treatment of Khan amid reports that his health was deteriorating.
The Supreme Court’s order now places his medical condition at the centre of renewed attention, with the court seeking both hospital treatment and an independent medical assessment while restricting the public release of the resulting report.
