Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was transferred from prison to a hospital for a medical examination and returned to jail within several hours early Friday. His political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stated the brief visit and the choice of facility violated a recent Supreme Court directive regarding his medical care.
The move follows a Tuesday order from the Supreme Court of Pakistan instructing authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. The court also mandated that Khan be allowed access to a medical panel including his personal physician. Khan has been held at Adiala jail since August 2023 on various charges he contends are politically motivated, while the government maintains the cases are legal in nature.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that Khan was instead examined at the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences because of a "security situation" involving PTI supporters on the route to the originally planned hospital. Tarar reported that a team of doctors, including a cardiologist and an ophthalmologist, declared Khan medically fit before he was returned to jail at 5 a.m. local time. Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, reported that during the examination, her brother alleged he had been tortured repeatedly while in custody.
The scale of this event involves the potential mobilization of thousands of protesters across major cities like Islamabad. PTI officials have already indicated that preparations for a mass protest march scheduled for September 27 are accelerating in response to this hospital transfer. If tensions escalate into street protests, citizens would likely notice increased police presence, road closures, and disruptions to daily commerce and travel in the capital and other urban centers.
The legal proceedings regarding the hospital transfer set a precedent for how the Pakistani government balances security concerns with judicial mandates. PTI officials stated they will file a contempt petition against the government for failing to use the court-appointed private hospital or allowing Khan's personal doctor to attend the examination. The next significant dates include the filing of this petition and the planned PTI protest on September 27, 2026. Currently, the interior and law ministries have not responded to requests for comment regarding the allegations of torture.