Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan be transferred from prison to a private hospital for medical examination.
The move comes as the 73-year-old [1] political leader faces deteriorating health, raising concerns about the conditions of his detention and the stability of his medical care.
Khan was moved to a private facility in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan [2, 3]. The court's decision followed reports from family members and doctors regarding his physical and mental state. Specifically, medical concerns include severe anxiety, and the loss of most of the vision in his right eye [1, 5].
Khan has been held in jail since 2023 [1]. The court's ruling allows him to remain at the hospital for treatment and examination until September 16 [1].
The transfer allows Khan to receive specialized care that was unavailable within the prison system. Family members have been permitted to visit the former leader during his stay at the hospital [1].
Legal representatives and party officials said the transfer was necessary to prevent further permanent health damage. The court order ensures that the medical examination is conducted in a professional environment to determine the full extent of his current ailments [3, 4].
Security remains tight around the Islamabad facility as the former Prime Minister undergoes tests. The court has not yet specified if the medical findings will influence his current detention status or lead to a request for parole on health grounds [2, 4].
“The Supreme Court ordered that Imran Khan be transferred from prison to a private hospital.”
The judicial intervention to provide medical care for Imran Khan highlights the ongoing tension between Pakistan's judiciary and the state's detention of its most prominent political opponent. By mandating a transfer to a private facility, the Supreme Court is exercising oversight over the treatment of a high-profile prisoner, which may signal a shift in how the court manages the intersection of legal detention and basic human rights for political figures.
