Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan reportedly moved to hospital from jail

What the report says

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was reportedly moved from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on Thursday night, according to local media cited by Al Jazeera. The transfer came after the country’s Supreme Court ordered that he be taken to hospital for medical treatment within two days, amid a legal dispute over his access to care.

Al Jazeera reported that police and security personnel escorted Khan, the founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, after preparations were completed earlier in the day. The move followed months of requests from his party and family, who had raised concerns about his health. Under the court order, Khan is to be examined by a medical board that includes his personal physician.

The government had challenged the transfer order, but had not publicly commented in the report. PTI also had not issued a statement at the time of publication, though it shared live video of the preparations. Khan’s next hearing is set for September 16, and one of his lawyers said he should remain in hospital until then.

The reported transfer is notable because it would be Khan’s longest time outside jail premises since he was imprisoned in August 2023. He was jailed and convicted in several corruption-related cases that he and PTI say are politically motivated, after being removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.