In brief
A three‑judge panel of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered ex‑Prime Minister Imran Khan to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours after reports of his worsening health. The decision comes after Khan’s lawyers highlighted a decline in his vision and other medical conditions that were earlier blocked by prison authorities. While the court protected the inmate’s dignity, it also granted him weekly family visits and telephone contact with his sons. Khan, jailed since 2023 on a series of corruption charges he claims are politically motivated, remains a polarising figure in Pakistani politics where his supporters have staged large protests.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a new directive, ordering the transfer of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from prison to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. The order, made by a panel of three judges, reflects concerns about Khan’s deteriorating health, which his legal team has argued has worsened under prison conditions.
Khan, who has been in jail since the summer of 2023 on corruption charges, was accused of violating the law as part of an alleged political campaign by some authorities. He has repeatedly claimed those charges are fabricated. In February, his lawyer reported that Khan’s right eye has only 15% vision left after prison staff allegedly failed to provide proper medical care. The court’s writ also mandates Khan’s medical care to include an eye specialist and requires he have weekly meetings with his family and telephone access to his sons.
The ruling comes amidst a backdrop of intense political protests in Pakistan. Khan’s supporters have organised large‑scale demonstrations calling for his release, and the government has yet to comment publicly on the Supreme Court’s directive. Meanwhile, the ruling instructions that supporters refrain from gathering too close to the hospital when Khan is transferred there, warning that such gatherings would breach the court’s order.
The ex‑Prime Minister, a former cricketer who led the national team, led Pakistan from 2018 until 2022. He is at the centre of an ongoing political drama, facing more than 100 legal cases, ranging from allegations of leaking state secrets to selling state gifts, all of which he declares as politically motivated. He and his wife Bushra Bibi were both sentenced to 17 years last year, drawing widespread criticism and calls for a fair trial from opposition groups. The situation remains a key point of tension in Pakistan’s volatile political climate.
