Pakistan Supreme Court orders moving Imran Khan to hospital

The court has directed that the former Prime Minister and cricketer Imran Khan be transferred from the Faizabad jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within the next 48 hours after complaints of worsening health.

A panel of three judges ruled that Khan will receive a medical examination by physicians, with a specialist eye doctor involved. The ruling also allows him weekly visits with family members and telephone calls with his sons.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption charges that he alleges are politically motivated. His lawyers reported that he suffers from poor eyesight, and that prison authorities failed to provide specialist care, leaving him with only 15 % vision in his right eye.

The judges noted: “We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of the prisoner.”

The court’s decision follows protests by Khan’s supporters and a crackdown by authorities. The Pakistani government has not publicly commented on the ruling.