Imran Khan Moved to Hospital Amid Softening Signals
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was transferred under heavy security from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad in the early hours of Friday, in compliance with a Supreme Court order for a full medical examination and treatment.
The 73-year-old founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was shifted after a three-member Supreme Court bench directed authorities to move him to the private facility within two days. He is to remain there at least until the next hearing on 16 September, subject to recommendations from a specialised medical board. A large, heavily guarded convoy left the jail late Thursday. Security forces sealed approaches to the hospital, restricted media access and prepared the executive floor for the high-profile patient.
The court acted on petitions from Khan’s sister, lawyer and a PTI leader seeking better care, access to personal physicians, family meetings and full medical records. It ordered a multidisciplinary board including a physician, surgeon, internal medicine specialist, ophthalmologist and cardiologist, with Khan’s personal doctor and sister associated with the process. Treatment costs are to be borne by his family. Additional relief includes weekly family meetings and twice-weekly telephone calls with his sons in London. Public discussion of his health details was restricted until the next hearing.
Khan has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023 and is serving sentences in multiple cases, including those related to state gifts and the Al-Qadir Trust. He and his party maintain the prosecutions are politically motivated. Medical reports cited fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, anxiety linked to restricted contact, muscle pain and an earlier eye condition. The court found prima facie deterioration warranting interim hospitalisation.
In a parallel development, PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari signalled a possible softening of the party’s confrontation with the military. Speaking to Reuters from Dubai, Bukhari said that if released, Khan would refrain from actions that damage the country or put him on a collision course with military leadership, including Field Marshal Asim Munir. He described Khan as magnanimous and suggested the military chief could play a stabilising role. The government and military did not immediately respond.
Despite the milder tone, Bukhari confirmed PTI still plans a nationwide long march toward Islamabad on 27 September to demand full medical access, prompt hearings and Khan’s release. Informed observers remain cautious about how far any reconciliation signal extends while Khan remains in custody and the party’s organisational capacity is constrained.
The hospital transfer represents Khan’s longest continuous period outside Adiala Jail since his imprisonment began more than three years ago. Full medical reports are due before the Supreme Court on 16 September.
