Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been transferred back to prison after a brief stay at a hospital where doctors conducted a medical checkup.
Khan, 73, was moved early on Friday from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to the private Shifa International Hospital in the capital under tight security. He spent a few hours there before being moved back to prison.
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Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed on X that Khan was taken to the hospital during the night. He said that a specialized medical team, including a cardiologist, an ophthalmologist, and a physician, examined the former prime minister and “declared him medically fit.” Tarar added that Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, was present during the entire visit.
The hospital visit followed a Supreme Court order on Tuesday directing authorities to move the imprisoned former leader to hospital within two days. The court said an independent medical board should assess Khan’s condition and include his personal physician.
The court order followed a report submitted to the court on Monday by Adiala jail’s superintendent, detailing an August 10 assessment by a cardiac board. The report recorded fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety that it said was linked to Khan’s restricted contact with his family.
The government had challenged the order, but officials said preparations for Khan’s transfer were completed on Thursday.
Security was tightened around the hospital ahead of the move. A senior official said hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed in the area.
Khan’s family and his party have repeatedly appealed to the courts over his health during the past year, particularly concerns about the vision in his right eye.
Courts have twice declined similar requests to move Khan to hospital since February. In one case, the Islamabad High Court instead ordered an assessment by a medical board.
Khan was voted out of office by parliament in April 2022. He has been in prison since August 2023, when a court convicted him in a case involving the sale of state gifts received while he was prime minister.
The former cricket star and his wife Bushra Bibi have since been convicted in several other cases. Khan and PTI have denied wrongdoing, saying the prosecutions are politically motivated.
