ISLAMABAD: PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan was returned to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail early Friday after undergoing a medical examination at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, according to jail sources and media reports.
Khan was taken from Adiala Jail’s Gate No. 1 shortly after midnight under heightened security and reached the private hospital in Sector H-8. A six-member team of specialist doctors examined him and, according to sources, found that he could safely remain in prison.
He was shifted back to Adiala Jail after spending nearly five hours at the hospital and arrived at around 5:30am.
The transfer followed an interim Supreme Court order issued on Tuesday directing authorities to take Khan to Shifa International Hospital within two days for examination by a medical board, including his personal physician. The three-member bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, issued the directions after examining reports submitted by jail authorities about his health.
Security was tightened around the hospital and along the route. Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi also visited the hospital to review security arrangements, while hundreds of police and other security personnel were deployed.
Khan, 73, has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023. He is serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case and faces convictions in several other cases, which he and his party have described as politically motivated.
His family and lawyers have repeatedly expressed concern over his health, citing fluctuating blood pressure, anxiety, headaches and earlier vision problems in his right eye. They have also linked some of his complaints to restricted family meetings and limited access to newspapers and television.
A report submitted by the jail superintendent to the Supreme Court earlier this week said medical officers examine Khan three times a day. An annexure to the report said a PIMS cardiologist examined him on August 1 and recorded uncontrolled blood pressure, recommending measures to reduce stress, including more frequent family meetings.
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A medical board that examined Khan on August 10 also recommended one hour of daily walking and greater interaction with his immediate family.
The complete medical reports from the Shifa examination are expected to be submitted to the Supreme Court at its next hearing on September 16.
