Pakistan top court orders Imran Khan’s hospital transfer amid access battle

What the report says

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered that jailed former prime minister and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan be moved from Adiala prison in Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within two days. The decision, reported by Al Jazeera from Islamabad on Tuesday, came after months of pressure from Khan’s party over his access to medical care and family visits.

According to Al Jazeera, the three-judge bench also directed that a medical board oversee his treatment and include Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and his personal doctor, Dr Faisal Sultan. The court said his family should be allowed to meet him at the hospital and that he should be able to speak with his sons abroad. A further hearing is scheduled for September 16, and Khan is expected to remain hospitalised until then.

The ruling followed a prison report describing a review by a cardiac board on August 10 that noted fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety linked to limited contact with family. The court questioned gaps in that report and said his pulse and heart condition were not normal. Khan, 73, has been held since August 2023 after convictions in corruption-related cases that he and PTI reject as politically driven.

The order is significant because similar transfer requests had previously been rejected, and the dispute has become part of a broader clash between PTI and the government over access, legal process and possible political talks.