Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was moved to a private hospital in Islamabad early Friday for medical tests after the Supreme Court ordered his hospitalisation, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said.
Khan, 73, was taken to Shifa International Hospital, where hundreds of police personnel were deployed and roads leading to the facility were cordoned off.
“It’s confirmed that he has arrived at Shifa International Hospital,” PTI spokesman Zulfi Bukhari told AFP, adding that the Supreme Court’s order had been complied with.
Former Pakistan president and PTI member Arif Alvi also confirmed Khan’s transfer, saying the country was “happy and dancing with joy”.
The development came after Khan’s lawyers approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the former premier was in poor health and required a medical examination. A three-member bench on Tuesday directed authorities to shift him to a hospital within two days.
The court also ordered that Khan be allowed to meet his family once a week and speak to his sons by telephone twice a week. It further directed that a panel of medical specialists be constituted for his treatment and allowed Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, to participate in his medical care.
Dozens of Khan’s supporters gathered outside the hospital following news of his transfer. Some supporters showered flower petals on passing vehicles as police maintained a heavy presence around the facility.
Khan has been in prison since 2023 and maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated. He and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced late last year to 17 years in prison in a corruption case.
Earlier this year, Khan underwent eye treatment at a hospital, with his family saying he had lost most of the vision in his right eye.
The former cricket captain served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was removed through a no-confidence vote. His arrest in May 2023 triggered widespread protests across the country.
