Imran Khan returned to jail after court-ordered medical checkup
Pakistan's government says jailed former prime minister was declared "medically fit," amid months-long fight over his health and access to him
ISLAMABAD (MNTV) — Pakistan’s government said former Prime Minister Imran Khan was returned to prison early Friday after an overnight medical examination in Islamabad, following a Supreme Court order that had directed authorities to move him to a hospital over concerns about his health.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said a team of doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist, and physician, “conducted a detailed examination” of the 73-year-old and “declared him medically fit,” and that his sister, Uzma Khan, was present throughout.
Khan was transferred back to Adiala Jail, in the city of Rawalpindi near the capital, at about 5 a.m., Tarar said.
The examination followed a Supreme Court order on Tuesday directing that Khan be moved to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital until his next hearing on Sept. 16 — a demand his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had pressed for months.
The court acted after a jail medical report recorded fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety, with judges saying his “pulse and heart condition were not normal.” Khan has previously been treated for a serious eye condition affecting his vision.
Accounts of the venue differed: Tarar said the checkup was done at the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences rather than Shifa, citing security concerns over PTI supporters gathering near the private hospital, though several Pakistani outlets reported he was examined at Shifa by a six-member team.
The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled.
The episode reflects a wider standoff.
The government had filed a review petition calling the transfer order “discriminatory,” and the dispute over Khan’s care remains unresolved even after his return to prison.
His health has been the subject of intense speculation for months, fueled by PTI claims — which authorities deny — that he has been held in solitary confinement and denied family visits.
Khan, a cricket World Cup-winning captain who became prime minister in 2018 and was ousted in a 2022 no-confidence vote, has been jailed since August 2023 on convictions he and his party call politically motivated.
He is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case and has been convicted in several others. His party continues to demand his release and quicker resolution of the cases against him.
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