Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan was taken to hospital for a medical examination in the early hours of August 21 in line with the Supreme Court’s order before being shifted back to Adiala jail.
In a statement on X, Tarar said Imran was taken to the hospital between the night of August 20 and 21 under “appropriate security arrangements”.
Footage of the convoy entering Shifa hospital. pic.twitter.com/dJF1WyAyab
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He said a team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, conducted a detailed medical examination and declared Imran “medically fit”.
Tarar said that Imran’s sister Uzma Khan remained present throughout the medical examination and treatment process.
“Imran was taken back to Adiala jail at around 5am on August 21 after the medical examination process was completed,” he added.
In a follow-up X post, Tarar said the medical examination was conducted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), with doctors from Shifa International Hospital also present.
He said Imran was taken to Pims due to the security situation “created by PTI workers” on the route to and outside Shifa International Hospital.
Tarar said medical facilities had been provided to Imran in the past and would continue to be provided whenever he required them.
The minister’s statement came hours after media reports said that Imran underwent a medical examination at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital in the early hours of Friday.
Imran was taken to the Islamabad hospital from Adiala jail’s Gate No 1 under heightened security, with police escorting him to the facility.
The Supreme Court had ordered the jailed ex-premier’s transfer to a medical facility within two days after considering his health condition. The government subsequently filed a review petition against the decision.
However, the Supreme Court’s Registrar Office returned the review petition on Thursday morning after raising certain objections.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has also raised the possibility of Imran being sent abroad for medical treatment.
Imran, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions in several cases that he and his party describe as politically motivated. He has faced multiple legal proceedings since his ouster as prime minister in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote.
‘Bani Gala transfer premature’
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said it is premature to say that Imran will be shifted from the hospital to his Bani Gala residence.
He said any building could potentially be declared a sub-jail, adding that such a decision could be considered if medical experts conclude that returning him to prison would be detrimental to his health.
Raja said the report submitted to the court indicated that the conditions in jail were causing anxiety for the PTI founder.
“These are all possible options,” Raja said.
‘Imran would not confront army chief if freed’
Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to the former prime minister, told Reuters that Imran would not confront the Pakistan Army or Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir if freed.
“If Imran Khan was released tomorrow, hypothetically, he wouldn’t do anything that would effectively damage the country,” Bukhari said, describing him as “magnanimous”.
“That doesn’t mean you go loggerheads with the establishment, with the military leader,” he said. “You control your own hurt. You curb your own pain. You swallow it for the betterment of your country.”
Bukhari called the SC ruling a “new ray of hope” and said PTI would comply with the court’s instruction that its workers and leaders not gather outside the hospital.
Party leaders last spoke with Khan eight months ago, said Bukhari, who is in self-imposed exile in Dubai.
Senior PTI leaders driven into hiding would participate or help organise the mobilisation, he added.
“You’ll probably see a lot of leadership come out of hiding,” he said. “Even if you don’t see them, you’ll see them mobilising.”
Review petition
In the petition filed by the Centre a day ago, the federal government said the Supreme Court’s August 18 interim order directing that Imran be transferred to a private hospital exceeded the court’s jurisdiction and should be reviewed.
“It seems the above statutory provision escaped notice of the Honourable Court, thereby resulting in an error which is floating on the surface of the record. Had the Court taken note of the above-noted provision of law, the order under review could not have been passed. The same, therefore, merits to be reviewed,” the petition contended.
The plea maintained that the former premier requested to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, but the IHC rejected the request on March 12, after which an appeal was filed before the top court.
It added that prisoners transferred to hospitals must remain under police supervision. The petition also referred to Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, which sets out the procedure for transferring a prisoner from jail to a hospital.
The petition read that Imran had been regularly medically examined in the past and had received treatment from medical boards on several occasions.
It further argued that the court should have sought the opinion of medical experts before deciding on his transfer on health grounds.
SC ruling
In the SC order released on Tuesday, the apex court ordered Adiala jail authorities to transfer the PTI founder to Shifa Hospital for medical assessment and treatment within two days, which expires today.
The court also ordered the constitution of a medical board to assess and treat Imran. It also ordered that Dr Uzma and the former premier’s personal physician be present during his medical assessment and treatment, with his family to bear the expenses.
Authorities were directed to transfer the ex-premier to the hospital under tight security and complete the necessary arrangements within a few days.
The court, however, warned that any violation of its directions could result in the withdrawal of facilities being provided to the PTI founder.
Following the ruling, PTI welcomed the SC’s order and urged party workers to avoid gathering outside the medical facility.
