Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered authorities to move jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to a hospital in Islamabad for medical treatment.
This comes a day after Adiala Jail authorities, where Khan is imprisoned, told the Supreme Court that Khan’s eyesight had improved significantly and was now “almost normal” following treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
However, medical records submitted to the court also showed that Khan had complained of palpitations, headaches, restlessness and anxiety, with doctors recommending more frequent contact with his wife and family to help manage his anxiety and blood pressure.
open image in galleryKhan will be shifted to Shifa International, a leading private hospital in Islamabad.
Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, a close aide and adviser to Khan, said in a statement: “The Supreme Court has rightly ordered for Imran Khan to be moved to Shifa International. It’s a very welcome order, and we wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much.”
He added: “He should remain in hospital until all doctors are satisfied.”
Khan, 73, has remained in custody since 5 August 2023 after previously being arrested during nationwide unrest in May that year.
The former cricket star was removed as prime minister in April 2022 following a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
Although he has been acquitted in several cases, including those relating to official secrets and his marriage to Bushra Bibi, Khan is serving a 14-year prison sentence in a corruption case, while he and his wife were also sentenced in December 2025 in a separate case involving state gifts.
Both convictions are under appeal, and Khan has denied wrongdoing. His party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, insists the cases are politically motivated.
On Monday, Mr Bukhari criticised the restrictions placed by jail authorities on Khan. He wrote on X about what he labelled the “cruelty of Imran Khan’s continued isolation”.
PTI has previously claimed that Khan has been in “complete isolation with no meetings whatsoever for over eight months now”.
He said: “The Medical Board records ‘Anxiety +++’, palpitations and head heaviness, and explicitly recommends more frequent interaction with his immediate family/spouse, stating this will help control his anxiety and blood pressure. It also prescribes medication and a daily one-hour walk.
“When even a Medical Board says family access is medically necessary, continuing to deny it is no longer just cruel, it is a deliberate assault on his physical and mental wellbeing.
“Let Imran Khan’s family meet him. Let his doctors see him, let his lawyers see him, let ANYONE see him. Hurting him isn’t going to give you political legitimacy.”
Earlier this month, human rights activists also renewed calls to authorities to restore Khan’s access to family, lawyers and medical care as the former Pakistan prime minister marked three years in prison on 5 August. Amnesty International urged authorities to end what it described as “unlawful” restrictions on his detention and demanded that Pakistani authorities “unconditionally restore Imran Khan and (his wife) Bushra Bibi Khan’s right to see their family and lawyers”.