Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to take imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to a private hospital in Islamabad for a medical examination and directed prison officials to restore his regular contact with family members.
A three-member bench ordered that Khan be taken to Shifa International Hospital in the capital within the next few days, where he will be examined by a medical board comprising specialists and one of his personal physicians, Faisal Sultan, according to his lawyers and party officials.
The court also directed prison authorities to allow Khan to meet his family members once a week and speak by telephone with his sons.
Khan’s family and personal doctors have repeatedly raised concerns over his health and their limited access to him. Earlier this year, authorities suspended visits to the prison after receiving intelligence about a possible attack on the facility.
The former prime minister had petitioned the Supreme Court months ago seeking his transfer from the high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi to a hospital, along with access to his personal doctors, family members and lawyers.
Khan’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, said the court issued the order because his client’s health was at risk and access to medical treatment is protected under Pakistan’s Constitution.
Raja also urged Khan’s supporters not to gather outside the hospital when he is taken there, saying such gatherings could inconvenience other patients.
Khan was taken several times to a government hospital earlier this year for treatment of an eye problem.
Concerns over his eyesight intensified in January when his family claimed he had lost about 85% of the vision in his right eye. The government disputed the claim and later said his vision had improved by around 70%.
The former international cricket star-turned-politician has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case.
Khan was removed as prime minister in April 2022 following a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He has alleged that his removal was part of a US-backed conspiracy involving his political opponents and former army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. Washington, Pakistan’s military and his political rivals have denied the allegations.
Despite his imprisonment and multiple legal cases, Khan remains one of Pakistan’s most influential political figures and retains a large popular following.