Pakistan‘s former prime minister Imran Khan has been returned to prison after spending several hours overnight at a hospital for medical examinations ordered by the country’s Supreme Court, his party said on Friday.
Khan, 73, was transferred from Adiala prison in Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad early on Friday, before being taken back to the jail, a spokesperson for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said, reported Reuters.
The brief hospital visit followed a Supreme Court order issued on Tuesday directing authorities to move the imprisoned former leader to the private hospital within 48 hours and allow him to be examined by a medical panel that includes his personal physician.
The move came after months of mounting concern from Mr Khan’s family and party over his health. His lawyers have said his condition has deteriorated in prison and that he has suffered significant loss of vision in his right eye.
open image in galleryAuthorities have disputed the severity of his condition, saying medical reports did not identify any illness requiring immediate treatment.
Concerns intensified in January when his family said he had lost about 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye, although the government later said his sight had substantially improved.
The hospital transfer followed a longstanding demand by Khan’s family and PTI, who had sought access to treatment outside the prison system. In its order on Tuesday, the Supreme Court told authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.
open image in gallerySecurity was stepped up around the hospital on Thursday as officials prepared for the possibility of Khan’s arrival, while journalists gathered in hopes of seeing the former leader, who has not appeared publicly since his imprisonment in 2023.
A day earlier, the government had asked the top court to review or withdraw its order allowing Khan to be examined at a private hospital. The court declined to hear the request on technical grounds and instructed authorities to complete the necessary paperwork
Parliamentary affairs minister, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said on Thursday that the government would comply with the court’s ruling and could consider allowing Khan to receive treatment at a private hospital or abroad if adequate care was unavailable through government facilities.
The government has maintained that prisoners receive medical treatment in jail and can be transferred to state-run hospitals when necessary.
Khan, a former cricket star who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been behind bars since August 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases. He has consistently said the cases against him are politically motivated, an accusation the government denies.