Supreme Court orders Imran Khan’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment, directing Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Uzma Khan to accompany him.

The court also directed that Imran Khan would bear the hospital expenses himself and remain admitted until the next hearing.

A three-member bench ordered that a detailed medical report be submitted to the court. The hearing was adjourned until September 16.

During the proceedings, the additional attorney general objected to the transfer order, arguing that the government had not been issued notice. The Supreme Court made the objection part of its order before adjourning the hearing.

The proceedings were held in connection with Imran Khan’s health and his access to family members and lawyers.

Before the hearing, the Adiala jail superintendent submitted a report stating that Imran Khan’s eyesight in one eye had become “almost normal” following treatment by an ophthalmologist.

The report said medical examinations were being conducted three times a day under the supervision of several government-appointed doctors. It also contained records of examinations conducted by 39 medical specialists between November 2023 and August 2026.

According to the report, Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi had held 84 meetings under the weekly Tuesday visitation arrangements permitted by jail rules. It also stated that lawyer Salman Safdar met Imran Khan on February 10 and April 4, 2026.

The report referred to an assurance allegedly given by lawyer Salman Akram Raja before the Islamabad High Court that he would not speak to the media after meeting Imran Khan. Jail authorities alleged that the assurance was later violated.

The report also cited an Islamabad High Court ruling in the Sher Afzal case that declared Jail Rule 265 unlawful. Jail authorities further alleged that meetings had been used to generate sentiment against the judiciary, foreign policy and law enforcement.

The Supreme Court, however, sought further clarification regarding Imran Khan’s medical condition and access to his family.

Justice Shahid Waheed questioned why the complete medical record had not been provided to the court, observing that the material submitted so far was only a summary.

The court directed that the complete medical record be submitted before the next hearing and observed that once the record was placed before the court, it would no longer remain confidential.

The bench also examined the issue of meetings between Imran Khan and his sisters.

The Advocate General Islamabad said meetings would not be permitted if any law was violated. Justice Waheed questioned whether the state could itself violate the law in response and observed that meetings with sisters were a fundamental right rather than a favour.

The judge also questioned why directions issued by the Islamabad High Court were not being implemented.

The Advocate General responded that 48 meetings with Imran Khan’s sisters had been arranged over a period of three years. The court sought further details of those meetings and also asked for records concerning Imran Khan being permitted to speak with his children.

Article 9 of the Constitution, which provides that no person shall be deprived of life or liberty except in accordance with law, was also referred to during the proceedings.

The court also sought details of all cases registered against Imran Khan and asked how many convictions he currently faced.

According to his lawyer Khalid Yousaf, more than 200 cases have been registered against the PTI founder.

Imran Khan was sentenced to three years in the Toshakhana case, although the Islamabad High Court later suspended the conviction. His 10-year sentence in the cipher case was subsequently set aside by the high court.

In the nikah case, in which Imran Khan had initially been sentenced to seven years, he and Bushra Bibi were later acquitted.

He has also been convicted by accountability courts in the Al-Qadir Trust case and a second Toshakhana case, with appeals and suspension proceedings against both convictions pending.

Separately, the hearing revealed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had reportedly linked the release of Rs6.4 billion owed to the federal government to being allowed a meeting with Imran Khan.

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Justice Naeem Afghan said there should be no politicisation of Imran Khan’s health and observed that meetings should not be followed by political statements outside the jail.

The Supreme Court also summoned the Adiala jail superintendent to the next hearing and said it would decide, after a break, whether Imran Khan would be permitted the requested meeting.

The court’s order to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital marks the latest development in the ongoing legal proceedings concerning his health, medical treatment and access to family members and lawyers.