Pakistan Court Orders Ex-PM Imran Khan Moved From Jail To Hospital

Pakistan Court Orders Ex-PM Imran Khan Moved From Jail To Hospital (Image Source: AFP)

Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered authorities on Tuesday to move jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital for medical checks, after the popular politician's lawyers complained about his poor health.

Imprisoned since 2023 on corruption charges he deems politically motivated, Khan will be moved "within the next two days" to Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad, the court said in its order.

The three-bench court decided that the 73-year-old ex-cricket captain would also be allowed to meet with his family once a week and speak to his sons via telephone twice weekly.

"We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation... to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of persons in custody," the panel wrote.

Khan's personal physician Faisal Sultan, and sister and medical doctor Uzma Khan, "shall be permitted to remain associated with the prisoner's medical examination and treatment".

A medical board including an eye specialist and experts in internal medicine and cardiology would be established for Khan's treatment, the order said.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who is also his spiritual guide, were both sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars.

The former prime minister received eye treatment at a hospital this year, with his family and lawyer saying at the time that he had lost most of the vision in his right eye.

His lawyers had since petitioned the court, asking for "proper treatment" from a specialist at the hospital.

Tuesday's ruling granting the petition was "a major step, a major decision, a great blessing", said Salman Akram Raja, secretary-general of Khan's political party, in a video shared on Facebook from outside the court.

He called on the supporters of Khan, who remains a dominant political personality, to abide by the party's agreement with the court that there "must not be any crowding or commotion".

The judges warned against public gatherings within the hospital grounds or the use of information about Khan's health for political gain, cautioning any breaches could lead to the order being reversed.

The next hearing was set for September 16.

Khan was prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and the powerful military establishment.

He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges, which Khan and the PTI maintain are politically motivated.

His arrest triggered nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.

Ending decades of political dominance by dynastic parties, Khan was voted in by millions of Pakistanis who grew up watching him play cricket, where he excelled as an all-rounder and led the nation to a World Cup victory in 1992.

But his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party made little headway improving the country's finances, with galloping inflation, crippling debt and a feeble rupee undermining economic reform.