SRINAGAR: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shifted back to Adiala Jail after undergoing a medical evaluation at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, according to a spokesperson for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Pakistani media reports said Khan was returned to prison after doctors found him fit to remain in custody. The 73-year-old former premier had been taken to the hospital around midnight following a Supreme Court directive requiring authorities in Islamabad to provide him with specialised medical care amid concerns over his health.
Citing sources, Geo News reported that Khan’s transfer to and from the prison was carried out under tight security and that he had subsequently been taken to his cell.
Dozens of PTI supporters gathered outside the hospital during Khan’s brief stay, according to the French news agency AFP.
Khan has remained imprisoned since August 2023. He maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated, a charge rejected by the government.
His lawyers have claimed that his health has worsened during his imprisonment and that he has suffered significant loss of vision in his right eye. In an order issued on Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital within 48 hours and provide him access to a medical panel that included his personal physician.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initially announced that it would comply with the court’s directive but subsequently filed a petition seeking a review and recall of the order. The government has maintained that medical reports did not indicate any condition requiring immediate treatment.
Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar opposed Khan’s transfer, arguing that under the law, a convicted prisoner should receive treatment either inside the jail or at a public hospital. He also said he had sought to have Khan’s medical tests conducted at a government hospital rather than a private facility.
Khan was taken to the hospital after PTI threatened to file a contempt of court petition against the government on Friday if he was not admitted by 11.59pm on Thursday.
