Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday directed authorities to take jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to a private hospital in Islamabad for a medical check-up and restore his regular contact with his family.
A three-member bench ordered that Khan be taken to Shifa International Hospital within the next few days.
His examination will be conducted by a panel of specialists, including his personal physician, Faisal Sultan, according to his lawyers and party officials, reports AP.
The court also instructed prison authorities to allow Khan to meet his family once a week and speak to his sons by phone.
Khan’s family and personal doctors have repeatedly expressed concern about his health and complained about restrictions on access to him. Prison visits were suspended earlier this year after authorities received intelligence about a possible attack on the facility.
The former prime minister had petitioned the Supreme Court months earlier, seeking to be moved from the high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi to a hospital. He also sought access to his own doctors, family members and lawyers.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, said the court intervened because his client’s health was at risk, arguing that access to medical care is a constitutional right.
Raja also appealed to Imran Khan’s supporters not to gather outside the hospital during his treatment, warning that such gatherings could cause difficulties for other patients.
Imran Khan was taken to a government hospital several times earlier this year over an eye condition.
His family raised concerns in January, claiming that he had lost around 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye. The government rejected the claim and later said his eyesight had improved by about 70 per cent.
The former international cricket star, who later entered politics, has remained in prison since 2023 following his conviction in a corruption case.
Khan was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 after losing a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
He has alleged that his removal was the result of a US-backed conspiracy involving his political opponents and former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The United States, Pakistan’s military and his political opponents have denied the allegations.
Despite his imprisonment and numerous legal cases, Khan continues to wield significant political influence in Pakistan and maintains a strong support base.
