Islamabad, Pakistan, 18 August (Brussles Morning Newspaper) Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered an Imran Khan hospital transfer from Adiala Jail after judges examined medical reports concerning the jailed former prime minister’s health, according to local media reports cited by Reuters.
The intervention came as the court considered Khan’s medical treatment and access to his family and personal doctors. The 73-year-old founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been imprisoned since August 2023 and remains one of the country’s most consequential political figures.
Supreme Court steps into dispute over Khan’s medical care
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed examined Khan’s medical condition and the treatment available to him inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported that Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan raised a medical recommendation for angiography and asked whether the procedure could be carried out in prison. The Islamabad Advocate General told the court that it could be performed at a hospital outside the jail.
The court also demanded Khan’s full medical record rather than a shortened account of his treatment.
“We want Imran Khan’s complete record; we do not want a summary,” Justice Waheed was quoted as telling the Islamabad Advocate General.
The judges also sought details of Khan’s meetings with his sisters and questioned whether earlier Islamabad High Court directions on family access were being properly followed.
Doctors recommend greater family contact
The hearing followed a medical examination carried out at Adiala Jail on 10 August.
According to a medical summary reported by the Express Tribune, Khan complained of head heaviness and palpitations and was assessed as experiencing significant anxiety. His blood pressure was recorded at 140/80mmHg.
A cardiologist had examined him earlier in August after complaints that included fluctuating blood pressure, headaches, restlessness and palpitations.
Doctors recommended regular walking and relaxation, along with more frequent contact with his immediate family and wife. They also recommended access to newspapers, television, magazines and books.
Prison authorities have maintained that Khan is receiving appropriate medical attention. The jail superintendent told the court that medical officers examine him three times a day, including checks of his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.
Imran Khan remains at heart of Pakistan’s political divide
The Imran Khan hospital transfer comes against a much wider legal and political battle surrounding the former premier.
Khan led Pakistan from 2018 until April 2022, when he was removed from office after losing a parliamentary vote of no confidence. He has faced numerous criminal cases since leaving power and has been held in custody since August 2023.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 17 years in prison in December 2025 in the Toshakhana-II case. He is also serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case and faces proceedings connected with the unrest of 9 May 2023.
PTI has repeatedly raised concerns about Khan’s conditions in custody and called for greater access to his personal physicians. Authorities have rejected claims that he has been denied necessary treatment.
Why the Supreme Court intervention matters
The dispute is about more than a single medical procedure. Khan’s health and treatment in custody have become politically sensitive issues in a country where his imprisonment continues to divide the government and opposition.
The Supreme Court’s intervention places responsibility on prison and government authorities to demonstrate that its directions on healthcare and family access are being followed.
For PTI, the decision also brings renewed public attention to an issue the party has repeatedly raised during Khan’s imprisonment. The court proceedings, however, concern his treatment and detention conditions and do not alter the sentences or separate criminal cases against him.
What happens next for Imran Khan?
The immediate question is how authorities implement the Imran Khan hospital transfer and what further treatment doctors recommend once he is assessed outside the prison.
The Supreme Court has also sought his complete medical records and information about meetings with his family. According to the Express Tribune, further proceedings on those matters are due after the court’s summer vacation.
Khan’s underlying legal position remains unchanged unless Pakistan’s courts make separate rulings in the cases and appeals concerning his convictions.
