Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was taken back to Adiala Jail on Friday after a team of specialist doctors examined him at a private hospital in Islamabad, officials said, following a Supreme Court order over concerns about his health.
Khan, 73, was moved from the high-security prison in Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital shortly after midnight under heavy police escort. Authorities deployed more than 800 security personnel around the facility as supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party gathered nearby.
A six-member medical board, including a cardiologist, an ophthalmologist and a physician, examined Khan and pronounced him medically fit, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said. Khan’s sister was present during the check-up.
The examination came after the Supreme Court this week ordered the government to have Khan assessed by an independent medical panel, citing reports of fluctuating blood pressure and concerns raised by his family over vision loss in one eye. The court had directed that he remain at the hospital until its next hearing on Sept. 16, but doctors instead cleared him to return to prison.
The government had sought to challenge the court’s order, filing a petition that described it as discriminatory and beyond the court’s jurisdiction. The court’s registrar’s office returned the petition this week, citing procedural deficiencies, and officials said it would be resubmitted.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple charges he says are politically motivated, and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case. His health and prison conditions have repeatedly become a point of legal and political dispute between his party and the government.
