Imran Khan Returned to Jail After Check-Up
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was returned to Adiala Jail early on Friday after a brief overnight medical examination at a government hospital in Islamabad, a development his party and family described as falling short of a Supreme Court directive for sustained treatment at a private facility.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan was taken from the Rawalpindi prison under security arrangements during the night of 20-21 August and examined by a team of doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician. Doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present, according to the minister. Khan’s sister Dr Uzma Khan attended the examination. Tarar stated that the doctors declared the 73-year-old “medically fit,” after which he was shifted back to Adiala Jail at approximately 5 a.m. on 21 August.
The examination took place at the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) rather than the private Shifa International Hospital specified in the court’s order. Tarar attributed the change of venue to a security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa. Heavy police deployments and road cordons had been put in place around the private hospital in anticipation of the transfer.
The Supreme Court on 18 August directed authorities to move Khan to Shifa within two days for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board that was to include his personal physician. The order further provided that he remain at the hospital until the next hearing on 16 September, subject to the board’s recommendations, and allowed weekly family meetings. A government review petition challenging the directive was returned by the registrar’s office over procedural deficiencies.
Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, said he waited at Shifa International Hospital on Thursday evening but was later informed that Khan was unlikely to arrive and left without meeting him. PTI officials characterised the decision to use PIMS and the rapid return to jail as an open violation of the court order.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr Uzma Khan said her brother appeared with a bandage over one eye and that they were guided through darkened parts of PIMS using the light from a mobile phone. She claimed no blood tests were conducted and that she did not know the identities of all the doctors involved. According to her account, Khan told her he had been subjected to severe injustice and torture over the previous ten months and that prolonged isolation had affected his health. She said his blood pressure was recorded at 120/80 during the visit and that an injection was administered to one eye.
Khan has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023 and is serving sentences in multiple cases, including those linked to state gifts and the Al-Qadir Trust. He and his party maintain the prosecutions are politically motivated. Earlier medical reports submitted to the court had cited fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, anxiety linked to restricted contact, and an eye condition that had previously required treatment at PIMS.
The brief hospital visit and subsequent return to prison have intensified the dispute over compliance with the court’s interim directions and the adequacy of medical care provided to the former prime minister. PTI has indicated it will pursue further legal action, including a possible contempt petition. Full medical reports from the examination have not been made public, with PIMS citing patient confidentiality and court directives.
