Islamabad [Pakistan], August 18 : Following growing concerns over his medical condition, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday directed authorities to transfer jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital for a health evaluation, according to a report by Dawn.
A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Shahid Wahid and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, issued the ruling on Imran's petition for his hospitalisation.
Highlighting the severe restrictions and isolation imposed on political prisoners in the country, the court also ordered authorities to ensure his weekly meetings with his family members. The court further directed the formation of a medical board with which Imran's personal physician and his sister, Uzma Khan, are to remain associated, Dawn reported.
Attempts to keep information regarding his condition hidden were also outlined, as Imran's lawyers and family members were instructed not to share his medical reports with the media or politicise the matter.
The court order follows mounting concerns over the state of Pakistan's prisons, coming a day after the superintendent of the Adiala jail, where Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, submitted a report to the apex court on the ex-premier's health condition, according to Dawn.
Underscoring the severity of the situation, former Pakistan President Arif Alvi claimed on Tuesday that the imprisoned leader's medical reports were deeply alarming. In a post on social media platform X, Alvi expressed grave concern over Khan's anxiety, high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate of 54 beats per minute, warning that "isolation is taking a physical toll on his body" and urging an immediate transfer to a hospital under an independent panel of doctors.
This medical crisis unfolds amid a complete blackout of access imposed by the authorities. Khan's sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, revealed to CNN that they had received no updates, as neither family, lawyers nor doctors had been permitted to see their father for seven months, exposing the state's harsh treatment of its political opponents.
The denial of basic rights and medical transparency has triggered widespread unrest, with supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staging nationwide demonstrations demanding the immediate release of the party founder and his spouse, Bushra Bibi.
The state's heavy-handed tactics stem from a prolonged political crackdown following Khan's ouster via a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.
Incarcerated since 2023 on what his aides maintain are politically motivated charges, Khan was effectively barred alongside his party leadership from participating in the 2024 general elections, highlighting the military-backed administration's systematic efforts to suppress opposition.