Imran Khan shifted to Shifa International Hospital under Supreme Court orders
PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan was shifted from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for medical examination and treatment in compliance with Supreme Court orders, amid tight security and extensive arrangements by the capital administration, police, Rangers and jail authorities.
The former premier has been imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. Concerns over his health have intensified during his imprisonment, with PTI leaders and family members repeatedly demanding access to doctors and hospital treatment.
Preparations at Shifa International Hospital were completed ahead of his arrival, with officials from the Islamabad administration, police, Adiala Jail, and Rangers deployed to manage security and logistical arrangements.
According to a security order issued by Islamabad Police, hundreds of personnel from different branches were deployed around the hospital. Their responsibilities included protecting citizens and property, preventing terrorist incidents, maintaining public order and ensuring smooth traffic flow.
The Islamabad chief traffic officer was directed to make parking and traffic arrangements around the hospital, while abandoned vehicles and motorcycles were to be checked as part of the security plan. Police pickets were established on roads leading to the hospital and a security audit of the facility was also conducted.
Teams comprising officials from the capital police and administration were constituted to bring Imran Khan from Adiala jail to the hospital. Under the arrangements, the capital police were responsible for his transfer for medical examination and, if doctors did not recommend admission, for taking him back to prison.
In the event of his admission, the Islamabad chief commissioner could declare the relevant room, ward or floor of Shifa International Hospital a sub-jail through a formal notification. Adiala jail staff would then be deployed at the hospital, while police and Rangers would continue to provide security and maintain law and order.
Hospital sources said Imran Khan was expected to undergo an initial medical examination in the emergency department, where a six-member team of specialist doctors would assess his condition before deciding whether he needed to be admitted for treatment. Special arrangements had also been made in case the medical team recommended hospitalisation.
Two members of the PTI founder’s medical board had earlier reached Adiala Jail, while his sister Dr Uzma Khan and personal physician Dr Faisal also went inside the prison for an assessment before his transfer.
According to the arrangements made at the hospital, Imran Khan was to be shifted to the fourth floor of Block F, the hospital’s executive floor. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had previously also been kept in the same block. Facilities for specialised kidney and liver tests are available on the floor.
The source said the PTI founder was suffering from high blood pressure as well as eye and muscle pain. His right central retinal vein occlusion, or CRVO, had earlier come to public attention and had received government-provided treatment.
The Supreme Court had on Tuesday ordered the government to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital within two days for medical assessment and treatment.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed and comprising Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim issued the order while hearing petitions seeking the former premier’s hospitalisation and meetings with his family members.
In its order, the court said the state and the Supreme Court had a constitutional and legal obligation to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of people in custody. It observed that a prisoner did not lose the right to humane treatment and necessary medical care merely because of incarceration.
The proceedings were attended by Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and others.
Noreen Niazi was also allowed to meet Imran Khan at Adiala jail for the first time this year. According to jail sources, the meeting took place in the prison’s conference room, where they discussed his health and other matters. She also informed him about the Supreme Court’s direction for his transfer to Shifa International Hospital.
Meanwhile, the federal government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking recall of the order directing Imran Khan’s transfer to the hospital. The petition, filed by Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik on behalf of the capital’s chief commissioner, described the interim order as “discriminatory” and argued that it was in excess of jurisdiction and liable to be reviewed.
The government and PTI have remained at odds over the former premier’s medical treatment. PTI has accused the government of failing to ensure transparency in his treatment and of denying his personal doctors access to him, allegations the government has rejected.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram had earlier urged party workers and supporters to stay away from the hospital despite their desire to see the party founder.
He said the party was aware of supporters’ sentiments but asked them to maintain distance from the facility to facilitate Imran Khan’s treatment and security arrangements.
PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, meanwhile, said it was premature to speculate that Imran Khan could be shifted from hospital to his Bani Gala residence. He said any building could potentially be declared a sub-jail if medical experts concluded that returning the former premier to prison would be detrimental to his health.
Raja said the medical board would determine whether Imran Khan should return to jail or be shifted elsewhere for treatment, adding that declaration of Bani Gala as a sub-jail remained only one of several possible options.