ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Supreme Court instructed jail officials on Tuesday to move former prime minister Imran Khan from Adiala prison to Shifa International Hospital so he can undergo further medical evaluation and care until the case is heard again.
Judges also asked for Khan’s full medical file to be handed over and urged his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, not to turn his health into a political talking point.
The case was heard by a three-judge panel led by Justice Shahid Waheed, alongside Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, who reviewed petitions dealing with Khan’s medical care and his access to relatives.
Health Concerns Raised in Court
Khan, 73, has been behind bars since August 2023 on convictions that he and his supporters describe as politically driven. He lost the premiership in April 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote, and has since faced a string of legal cases, among them accusations tied to state gifts and an improperly conducted marriage. Some of these convictions have since been paused or thrown out, though several remain under appeal, and Khan maintains his innocence throughout.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Justice Waheed pressed the Islamabad advocate general on why only a summary of Khan’s health records — rather than the full file — had been produced. He said the bench needed the complete documentation, not an abridged version.
Drawing on a jail report filed the previous day, the bench noted signs that Khan’s heart rate and pulse were outside normal ranges, with indications that some of his organs were beginning to show strain. Justice Afghan asked about a recommended angiography and whether it could be carried out inside the prison; the advocate general said the procedure would need to happen at an outside hospital.
PTI Lawyers Push for Doctor Access
PTI counsel Uzair Bhandari asked the court to determine what had caused Khan’s blood clot and requested permission for two physicians, Dr Uzma Khan and Dr Aasim Yusuf, to see him. Justice Waheed questioned Dr Uzma’s qualifications, and after Bhandari confirmed she was a licensed physician, the judge pointed out that Dr Aasim specialized in gastroenterology, noting nothing in the report pointed to a stomach-related ailment. Bhandari then floated the idea of allowing Dr Faisal Sultan to visit instead, though the judge observed that no party had actually challenged the credentials of the doctors already treating Khan. Bhandari also pledged that neither doctor would speak to journalists after any visit.
The court additionally revisited concerns about press statements following family or medical visits. The advocate general said an earlier commitment to avoid media comments had already been breached and that the issue was now before the Islamabad High Court. Senior counsel Salman Akram Raja argued that any breach of an assurance he had personally given shouldn’t be blamed on other parties, prompting Justice Waheed to note that contempt action could extend to Raja as well if court orders were disregarded. The judges said Khan’s family and legal team would need to formally commit to no media briefings after future meetings.
Justice Afghan encouraged PTI to resolve the disagreement internally rather than turning Khan’s health into a political dispute, stressing that his medical situation should stay out of party politics.
Family Visits and Case Records
The bench also took up restrictions on meetings between Khan and his sisters, with Justice Waheed calling such access a fundamental right rather than a privilege the state grants. He questioned why arranging these visits should be difficult and reminded officials that basic rights cannot be denied. The advocate general told the court Khan had met his sisters 48 times over three years, and the bench ordered a full record of these visits. Judges further asked for details of Khan’s contact with his sons, including call records, along with a complete breakdown of his ongoing cases — covering matters still under trial, convictions already handed down, and cases where sentences have been suspended.
The court also raised questions about compliance with earlier Islamabad High Court rulings on Khan’s visitation rights. The advocate general said that matter was tied up in an intra-court appeal and that the government had not yet received formal notice.
At one point during proceedings, Dr Uzma tried to address the court directly but was stopped by Justice Afghan, who reminded her that her lawyer was present to speak on her behalf.
Before adjourning, the bench ordered jail authorities to submit Khan’s complete medical history, three years of visitation records, and details of his communication with his sons ahead of the next session. Adiala jail officials were also told to appear at the following hearing, which was pushed to September 16.
What the Jail’s Health Report Showed
A two-page report filed by the Adiala jail superintendent on Monday outlined the medical care and monitoring Khan has received while incarcerated. It said specialists in Islamabad and Rawalpindi had treated him for central retinal vein occlusion, an eye condition diagnosed earlier in his detention, and that vision in the affected eye had largely returned to normal.
The document listed 39 medical evaluations carried out by various specialists between November 4, 2023, and August 10, 2026, noting that several government physicians had examined him, with jail staff keeping records of each visit. Officials also said Khan’s meals and beverages were checked three times daily, alongside routine health screenings.
The report noted that Khan and his wife have been allowed weekly meetings every Tuesday under prison regulations, totaling 84 visits so far, and that he had also met with his lawyer, Salman Safdar, in February and April.