Imran Khan Is Granted Brief Hospital Visit Before Returning to Prison

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, was taken to a hospital in Islamabad early Friday morning for emergency medical examinations, a development seen as a victory by his supporters in the ongoing struggle over his healthcare.

According to senior party figures Arif Alvi and Zulfikar Bukhari, Khan was moved to Shifa International Hospital shortly after midnight. Under the supervision of a multidisciplinary medical team—including an ophthalmologist and cardiologist—he underwent a brief checkup before being returned to solitary confinement around 5 a.m., per Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

Medical staff stated that Khan is medically fit, with his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, attending his examination.

The Supreme Court instructed on Tuesday that the 73‑year‑old former prime minister be relocated to Shifa International Hospital for comprehensive evaluation and treatment of an eye condition. A medical board was ordered to include both his independent physicians and his sister, while granting his family weekly visitation privileges; the court stipulated that his relatives would cover all treatment expenses.

Although the executive branch requested a judicial review of the directive, the court has remained unchanged and upheld the requirement.

The high court has not disclosed the anticipated duration of his hospitalization.

Scheduled for September 16, the judiciary will reconvene to hear multiple petitions concerning Khan’s medical care, prison conditions, and family access, alongside a separate appeal regarding one of his convictions; he has remained incarcerated since August 2023 after being convicted last year on a series of corruption allegations.

This judgment expands upon earlier rulings that merely required treatment without obligating relocation from prison—a demand his family and allies have championed for months.

The dispute over Khan’s health underscores the wider clash between his movement and Pakistan’s entrenched military establishment and ruling coalition. Following a falling relationship with the armed forces, Khan was ousted via a no‑confidence motion in 2022 and subsequently jailed on corruption grounds.

Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf maintains that the corruption prosecutions are politically contrived intended to marginalize him, whereas the state insists that the trials adhere strictly to statutory law.

A charismatic leader with a fervent base, Khan rose to prominence as Pakistan’s national cricket captain, guiding the team to its sole World Cup triumph in 1992. Later he shifted toward philanthropy by establishing a prominent cancer hospital, entered formal politics, and assumed the premiership in 2018.

Health concerns have escalated over recent months; legal teams warned that the veteran could have lost up to 85 % of vision in one eye due to delayed intervention for a blood clot.

In the past quarter, Khan was placed under strict surveillance and transported, under guard, to the Islamabad‑based Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital for therapeutic procedures, including two eye surgeries.

Party officials pressured Khan to undergo treatment at a private facility with selective physician selection, while his followers organized protests demanding humane medical attention during his detention.

A prison dossier submitted to the tribunal reported that Khan’s vision had largely recovered to near normal levels, he was examined thrice daily, and he and his spouse had coordinated numerous visits compliant with correctional protocols.

The dossier noted irregular blood pressure readings, cardiac palpitations, recurrent headaches, and heightened anxiety; the report attributed these symptoms to prolonged seclusion and restricted media exposure.

Khan remains under stringent guard control at Shifa Hospital while clinicians evaluate his health; the Supreme Court has ordered enhanced security measures and warned against commercializing his medical situation.

Salman Akram Raja, party secretary general, called on supporters to maintain composure and avoid gathering near the hospital.

“There should be no disorder and no crowds outside the hospital,” Raja emphasized following Tuesday’s court proceedings.

Despite serving three years in captivity, Khan retains a formidable electoral support base. Prior to the 2024 general election, he received a period of imprisonment, and he has been denied parliamentary candidacies for the past decade.

The upcoming contest followed an extended military‑backed offensive aimed at dismantling Khan and PTI; many of his leaders and supporters were detained en masse, and the party was prohibited from employing its iconic cricket bat emblem on voter ballots, a key identifier among an electorate with limited literacy.

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