"Medically Fit": Imran Khan Taken Back To Jail After Check-Up At Hospital

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been moved back to Adiala Jail from a hospital in Islamabad, a spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. Khan underwent a medical check-up at the hospital and was sent back to prison after doctors deemed it safe for him to remain in custody, according to Pakistani media reports.

"A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit," Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X about Khan's health checks.

"After the completion of this entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala Jail," he added.

While the court had directed the government to move Kahn to Shifa International Hospital, a private facility, for medical checkup and examination, Tarar revealed that he was taken to the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead.

The 73-year-old ex-premier was moved to a hospital around midnight for a medical evaluation following a Supreme Court order directing authorities in Islamabad to provide specialised medical care to him amid health concerns.

Citing sources, Geo News reported that the PTI founder's commute to and from prison was facilitated under extremely tight security. He has now been shifted to his cell.

During his brief stay at the hospital, dozens of PTI supporters had gathered near the hospital, according to French AFP news agency.

What His Sister Said

Later, Khan's sister Uzma Khan told media that she met her brother during his hospital visit. She said Khan told her that he was facing health complications due to solitary confinement.

Uzma Khan said she and PTI founder's personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, received a call late at night to reach the Adiala jail.

“So we reached the Adiala jail at around 8-8:30pm,” she said, adding that there, they were taken to a deputy superintendent of police's room. 

She said later officials separated her and Dr. Sultan, and she was taken to PIMS in a car, which was escorted by a police vehicle and a Land Cruiser.

“I asked them why you have brought me here; the Supreme Court has instructed for (Imran's) treatment at Shifa International Hospital. At that, they told me we were there for a follow-up of Imran's eye treatment.”

Kahn has been taken to PIMS for treatment multiple times after his eye ailment -- right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) -- came to light in late January.

Why Ex-PM Was Taken To Hospital

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. He says the cases against him are politically motivated, an accusation the government denies.

According to his lawyers, his health has deteriorated in prison, and he has lost significant vision in his right eye. In its order on Tuesday, the Supreme Court told authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.

The Shebaz Sharif government in Islamabad first announced it would implement the order but later filed a petition in the top court, seeking a review and recall of its order. The government has said medical reports disclosed no condition requiring immediate treatment.

Opposing Khan's transfer, Pakistan's Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has argued that a convicted prisoner must be treated inside the jail or at a public hospital according to law. He added that he was requesting Khan's medical tests be carried out at a government hospital instead of a private facility. 

He was taken to the hospital after PTI threatened to file a contempt of court petition against the government on Friday if he is not admitted to the hospital by Thursday at 11.59 pm.

Later, Pakistan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government would fully comply with the Supreme Court's ruling, claiming the government had not intended to defy or delay implementation of the decision.