Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was moved to a hospital in Islamabad for medical tests on the orders of the Supreme Court, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said early Friday.
Hundreds of police personnel, some carrying batons, were deployed around Shifa International Hospital, while roads leading to the facility were cordoned off, reports AFP.
“It is confirmed that he has arrived at Shifa International Hospital,” PTI spokesman Zulfi Bukhari told AFP. “The Supreme Court’s order has been complied with.”
Former president Arif Alvi, also a PTI member, confirmed Khan’s transfer in a post on X, saying the entire country was “happy and dancing with joy”.
Khan, 73, and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced late last year to 17 years in prison after being convicted in a corruption case and other charges. Khan, who has been behind bars since 2023, has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Dozens of Khan supporters gathered outside the private hospital, while some threw red flower petals at passing vehicles in a show of support.
Younus Qureshi, 69, said he had come to stand with “the man who has made so many sacrifices for Pakistan”.
Another supporter, 52-year-old Bilal, expressed hope that Khan, a former cricket captain who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, would receive proper medical care.
“Our love and affiliation will remain with Mr Khan,” he said.
Khan’s lawyers had petitioned the Supreme Court, arguing that his health had deteriorated and that he required medical examination. On Tuesday, a three-member bench ordered that he be taken to hospital within two days.
Earlier this year, Khan underwent eye treatment at a hospital, with his family claiming he had lost most of the vision in his right eye.
The court also ordered that Khan be allowed weekly meetings with his family and twice-weekly telephone conversations with his sons.
It directed the formation of a panel of specialists for his treatment and allowed his sister, doctor Uzma Khan, to participate in his medical care.
Khan served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before being removed through a no-confidence vote during a political crisis marked by tensions between his government and the powerful military establishment.
His arrest in 2023 triggered nationwide protests in May that year.
