- Supreme Court ordered Imran Khan’s transfer to hospital.
- Khan moves to Shifa Hospital; PTI welcomed order.
- Family raised long-standing concerns regarding Khan’s health.
- Khan’s eye condition was previously reported as improved.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to leave jail for medical treatment after the country’s Supreme Court directed authorities to shift him to a hospital. The order came amid a prolonged dispute over his health, particularly concerns surrounding his right-eye condition, despite prison authorities telling the court that his vision had improved significantly.
The court has directed that Khan be moved to Shifa International Hospital within 48 hours and remain there until September 16, Reuters reported, citing his spokesperson Naeem Haider Panjutha.
PTI welcomed the order but said it should have come earlier.
“It’s a very welcome order and we wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much,” Reuters quoted PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari as saying.
Bukhari also said Khan should remain in hospital until doctors are satisfied with his condition.
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Imran Khan‘s Health Concerns
The court’s order comes a day after prison authorities informed it that Khan’s eye condition had improved significantly and that his vision was almost normal.
He has been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad multiple times for treatment after his eye condition, right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), came to light in late January.
Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail authorities submitted a report to the Supreme Court on Khan’s latest eye condition.
According to the report, Khan received treatment after the medical condition emerged. He was treated at PIMS by the hospital’s head of ophthalmology, Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, along with Dr Nadeem Qureshi, a vitreo-retinal surgeon at Alshifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.
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PTI And Family Raised Health Concerns
The 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases. Khan has maintained that the cases against him were politically driven following his ouster as prime minister in 2022.
His sons had repeatedly expressed concerns about his deteriorating health, while his lawyers said he had suffered significant loss of vision in his right eye while in prison.
The latest court order comes amid continued demands from Khan’s party and family for better medical care and hospital treatment.
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