Pakistan's top court orders Imran Khan moved to hospital from jail for health evaluation

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered that Imran Khan, the former prime minister now serving time on corruption charges he maintains are politically motivated, be transferred to a hospital in Islamabad within the next 48 hours for a comprehensive medical evaluation. A three-judge panel issued the directive after hearing complaints about Khan's deteriorating physical condition while in custody since August 2023.

The court's order carries specific provisions: Khan will be examined by physicians at Shifa International Hospital, with an eye specialist included in his care team. The judges also granted him weekly visits from family members and the right to make telephone calls to his sons—concessions that underscore the court's acknowledgment of his confinement's toll. In their written ruling, the panel stated they were mindful of their "constitutional and legal obligation to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of the prisoner."

At 73 years old, Khan has become a symbol of what his supporters view as judicial persecution. His legal team has documented a cascade of health problems: severely compromised eyesight, limited access to specialist medical care, and other chronic conditions that have worsened during his imprisonment. In February, Khan's lawyers reported that his right eye had deteriorated to just 15 percent vision, claiming prison officials had failed to provide necessary treatment. The government disputed this account, but the Supreme Court's intervention suggests the judges found the health concerns credible enough to warrant action.

Khan's political adviser, Zulfikar Bukhari, responded to the court order with a note of bitter vindication, saying through the AFP news agency that he wished the intervention had come sooner, before Khan's vision and overall health had declined so sharply. The court order itself warned both judges and Khan's political party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, to discourage supporters from gathering outside the hospital during the transfer—a precaution designed to prevent the ruling from being breached and to avoid the kind of large-scale demonstrations that have erupted since Khan's arrest.

Khan's imprisonment has been marked by legal complexity and political turbulence. He faces charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from allegations of leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. Late last year, he and his wife Bushra Bibi were both sentenced to 17 years in prison. Khan has consistently rejected the charges as politically motivated, a claim that resonates with his substantial base of supporters, whose protests have been met with government crackdowns.

Before his detention, Khan had served as Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022, and before that had captained the national cricket team—a background that has given him a distinctive profile in Pakistani public life. Despite being behind bars, he remains a significant political force, his imprisonment having galvanized opposition to the current government and raised questions about the independence of Pakistan's judiciary.

The Supreme Court's order represents a rare moment of judicial intervention on behalf of a high-profile detainee, though it remains unclear whether it signals a broader shift in how the courts view Khan's case or simply reflects concern about his immediate physical welfare. The hospital transfer will be closely watched both by Khan's supporters and by observers of Pakistan's political and legal system.