Pakistan Supreme Court orders hospital transfer for jailed ex-PM Imran Khan
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan be moved to a hospital within 48 hours, responding to concerns about his deteriorating health while in detention.
A three-judge bench directed authorities to shift the 73-year-old to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, where he will be examined by a team of physicians, including an eye specialist. The court also ruled that Khan be permitted weekly meetings with family members and telephone calls with his sons, citing the constitutional obligation to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of a prisoner.
Khan, who served as Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption charges that he has consistently described as politically motivated. The government has not publicly commented on Tuesday's ruling.
His lawyers have said Khan suffers from several health conditions, including severe vision loss. In February, his legal team alleged that he had only 15 percent vision remaining in his right eye after prison authorities failed to provide adequate treatment — an allegation disputed by the government.
Reacting to the court order, Zulfikar Bukhari, an adviser to Khan, said in quotes carried by the AFP news agency: "We wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much."
The court order also included a warning against public gatherings. Judges and members of Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged supporters not to assemble outside the hospital when he is transferred, saying such demonstrations would violate the court's directive.
Khan, a former captain of Pakistan's national cricket team, entered politics in the mid-1990s and founded PTI in 1996. He was elected prime minister in 2018 but was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022. Since his imprisonment, he has faced charges in more than 100 cases, including allegations of leaking state secrets and selling state gifts, all of which he has denied as politically motivated.
In late 2023, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 17 years in a separate case. His detention has sparked large-scale protests by supporters, which authorities have at times met with a crackdown.
Despite being behind bars, Khan remains a significant figure in Pakistani politics, with a substantial support base and continued influence over his party's activities. The Supreme Court's intervention underscores the legal and humanitarian considerations surrounding the detention of a high-profile political leader.
