Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan Shifted Back to Prison After Medical Examination Declares Him ‘Fit’

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was shifted back to prison after a team of doctors at a Islamabad hospital deemed him medically “fit” enough to be sent back in legal custody.

“A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X about Khan’s health checks.

“After the completion of this entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala Jail,” he added.

Khan was transferred to a hospital in Islamabad early on Friday for a medical examination, his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, following a Supreme Court verdict, which delivered on a long-standing demand from his supporters over his deteriorating health in prison.

“Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad following Supreme Court order,” PTI said in a message to journalists.

Khan’s lawyers have claimed that his health has worsened due to incarceration of more than three years and that he has suffered significant loss of vision in his right eye. The government has maintained that medical reports have not identified any condition requiring immediate treatment.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to transfer the 73-year-old Khan to Shifa International Hospital within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician. The court also ordered that he be allowed to meet his family, whom he has reportedly been unable to see for months.

However, Tarar later said Khan had not been taken to Shifa International and had instead been transferred to the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). He said the change was made because of the “security situation created by PTI workers.”

The area around Shifa International was reportedly sealed off with barriers, with heavy security being deployed around the area. Some PTI activists had gathered along the route and outside the hospital despite warnings from the court and party leaders.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned whether the Supreme Court order had been implemented “in its true spirit” or was merely a “superficial exercise for propaganda.”

Khan’s sister Dr Uzma Khan accompanied him during the hospital visit and was present throughout the medical examination, according to Tarar. Another sister, Noreen Khan, had visited him in prison on Tuesday night.

The Supreme Court order said judges were mindful of their “constitutional and legal obligation” to safeguard the prisoner’s “life, health, dignity and security.” It also directed that an eye specialist be involved in Khan’s treatment.

Khan’s lawyers have said that the ex-premier was left with only 15 per cent vision in his right eye after prison authorities neglected his medical condition, though Islamabad has disputed the allegation.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and faces more than 100 cases, including charges relating to state secrets and the sale of state gifts. He has consistently described the cases as ‘politically motivated’ an accusation denied by the government.

The former cricketer served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his removal from office in 2022.

His jailing triggered large-scale protests by supporters, which were met with a brutal crackdown by authorities.

Despite his incarceration, Khan remains a highly popular presence in Pakistani politics with a large number of supporters.

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