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

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan be moved to 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 regarding 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.

NO REACTION FROM GOVERNMENT There was no reaction from the government to the court order and the information and interior ministries did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Khan’s younger son, Kasim, said his health was “all that mattered”.

“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,” he said in a statement shared with Reuters.