Pakistan’s top court has ordered prison authorities to transfer former prime minister Imran Khan to a hospital for medical treatment and to allow him to remain in hospital until the next hearing of his case on September 16.
A three-member Supreme Court bench – headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim – ordered the government to move Khan from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital Islamabad for medical assessment and treatment, according to his lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha on Tuesday.
The petitions were filed by Dr Uzma Khan, who is Khan's sister and a qualified surgeon, and other party leaders, who urged the court to order that he be provided immediate medical treatment, saying that his health is deteriorating in prison and that he is suffering from several illnesses.
The court also ordered authorities to establish a medical board to assess and treat the 73-year-old former premier.
It directed that Dr Uzma Khan and Khan’s personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan be present during his medical assessment and treatment. The court also ordered authorities to ensure Khan's meeting with his family.
Numerous legal cases
Reacting to the order, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said the government would implement the Supreme Court’s order “in letter and spirit,” according to local broadcaster Geo News.
Chaudhary said that Khan's party realised that the courts are dispensing justice.
“Everyone has secured their release through the courts in the past,” Chaudhary told the outlet, adding that the judiciary remains the avenue through which legal relief and release can be sought.
He added that the former prime minister had been provided the "best possible medical facilities even without an appeal from his party."
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 following convictions in several cases.
The former cricketer, who came to power in 2018, lost a vote of confidence in parliament in April 2022, nearly one year short of completing his term.
Since then, he has faced numerous legal cases, including those involving state gifts and corruption. Some of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, while several appeals remain pending before higher courts.
