Pakistan top court orders ex-PM Imran Khan be moved to hospital from jail

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered the transfer of former Prime Minister Imran Khan ​to a private hospital ⁠from jail, meeting a longstanding demand of his party and family, who had raised concerns about his health.

Cricketer-turned-politician ‌Khan, 73, has been in jail in the ‌garrison town of Rawalpindi since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases that he says were politically driven following his ouster in 2022. His sons repeatedly expressed concern about his deteriorating health last year, with his lawyers saying he had lost significant vision in his right eye while in prison.

"Mindful ‌of the fundamental right, we are issuing this order to ensure health and safety of the prisoner," said Justice Shahid Waheed, head of the ⁠three-judge bench that heard the petition.

The court directed that Khan be moved to Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad within 48 hours and remain there until September 16, Khan's spokesperson Naeem Haider Panjutha said on X.

It also ordered the creation of a medical panel for his treatment, including a cardiologist, general medicine specialist, eye specialist and Khan's personal physician.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party welcomed the order, saying it should be implemented "immediately, fully, and without delay”.

"We wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much," PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said.

The party ​also appealed to its members and Khan’s supporters not to gather outside the hospital, in accordance with the court’s order.

Conflicting reactions from government

Ministers issued conflicting statements about whether the government would fully comply with the order. Parliamentary affairs minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said "the government would implement the court's order in letter and spirit."

But in a separate video message to media outlets, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar offered a different account, saying the ⁠government would seek modifications to the Supreme Court order.

The government would "request that Khan's treatment be administered at a public hospital," he said, indicating that the government specifically objected to treatment at the private Shifa International Hospital, as ordered by the Supreme Court. Khan's younger son, Kasim, said in a statement shared with Reuters earlier ​in the day that "we ‌hope the government adheres to the court orders...allows calls and issues our visas to Pakistan simply so we can come and see ‌him."

Kasim and his older brother Sulaiman - raised in Britain after Khan's divorce from their mother, British socialite and filmmaker Jemima Goldsmith - have not seen their father since 2022 in the absence of a visa.

Since he lost power in a no-confidence vote, Khan has faced multiple cases, including over state gifts and an accusation ‌of an unlawful marriage. Some ‌convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.

Khan's ⁠initial arrest in 2023 sparked protests that saw hundreds of people attacking state buildings and rampaging through military installations.

His supporters ‌have similarly taken to the streets on several occasions in the years since to demand his release.

Cricket greats from around the world, including from across the border in rival India, demanded better treatment for Khan in February, expressing "deep concern" about ⁠his prison conditions.

The government had denied allegations of mistreatment.

PTI won power in 2018 and retains a large support base across key ​provinces but was stripped of its election symbol ahead of the 2024 vote.

Its candidates, who were forced to contest as independents, won the most seats in the election but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.

Reuters