ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court has ordered the transfer of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Khan has been detained at Adiala Jail for the past three years in multiple cases, including cases in which he is facing trial and others in which he has been convicted.
A -member Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, issued the directions while hearing cases related Khan’s meetings with family members and his medical treatment.
The court ordered that Khan be transferred to Shifa International Hospital under tight security and directed that a medical board be constituted to assess his condition. It also stressed that the security arrangements outside the hospital should not disrupt law and order.
Justice Shahid Waheed questioned why the authorities had not provided Khan’s complete medical record, noting that the material submitted to the court consisted only of summaries of medical reports.
The court directed that Khan’s complete medical record be submitted before the next hearing, observing that once the record is placed before the court, it would no longer remain confidential.
Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan also questioned whether the angiography mentioned in Khan’s medical reports could be performed while he remained in jail. The Islamabad advocate general told the court that the procedure could be performed at an outside hospital.
Justice Shahid Waheed referred to Khan’s medical reports and said they indicated that his pulse and heart condition were not normal and that his vital organs had begun to show signs of impact.
The court also questioned the authorities about meetings between Khan and his sisters. The Islamabad advocate general said that meetings would not be allowed if anyone violated the law. The court questioned whether the state could itself disregard legal requirements and observed that meeting family members was a fundamental right rather than a concession.
The court sought complete details of meetings between Khan and his sisters over the past three years. It also directed authorities to provide a record of his telephone conversations with his children.
The Islamabad advocate general told the court that Khan had been allowed 48 meetings with his sisters during the past three years.
PTI lawyer Uzair Bhandari requested that Khan undergo a complete examination at Shifa International Hospital and that his sisters and doctors be permitted to meet him. The court questioned whether assurances could be given that no media interaction would take place after such meetings.
Bhandari said Dr Uzma Khan and personal physician Dr Asim Yusuf would not speak to the media after meeting Khan. He said he was providing the assurance on Dr Uzma’s instructions.
The court also questioned the qualifications and medical specialties of the doctors proposed to meet Khan. When told that Dr Uzma was a medical doctor but not a PhD doctor, the court asked about Dr Asim Yusuf, noting that he was a gastroenterologist and that Khan’s medical reports did not indicate a gastrointestinal problem.
The government maintained that an assurance against media interaction following a meeting had previously been violated. Lawyer Salman Akram Raja responded that if the assurance had been breached, it was his own undertaking and questioned why others should be held responsible.
Justice Shahid Waheed said that if contempt proceedings were initiated against government officials, action could also be considered against Raja. The judges repeatedly emphasized that Khan’s medical condition and treatment should not become a subject of political controversy.
The court indicated that PTI and Khan’s family would have to provide affidavits assuring that there would be no media talk following meetings with him.
The court also sought details of Khan’s legal status. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan directed authorities to provide a complete account of the cases against him, including the number of cases in which he is an under-trial prisoner, the number in which he has been convicted, and cases where convictions have been suspended.
The court separately sought the record of Khan’s meetings at Adiala Jail during the last three years and questioned why directions issued by the Islamabad High Court regarding meetings had allegedly not been implemented.
Adiala Jail officials were directed to appear before the Supreme Court at the next hearing.
The hearing concerning meetings with Khan was adjourned until after the summer recess.
