Former prime minister Imran Khan was transferred from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital for a Supreme Court‑ordered medical examination and was sent back to prison less than a day later, a move that spotlights the fraught relationship between the judiciary, the government and the PTI leadership.
The Supreme Court ordered the transfer on Aug 18, mandating a private‑hospital check within 48 hours. Khan was moved on Thursday night, examined by an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician who declared him fit, and the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted the result on X. Police and sticks‑armed officers secured the hospital as dozens of supporters gathered outside.
The episode highlights the ongoing clash between the PTI and Pakistan’s military‑linked establishment, and underscores the government’s hesitancy to fully implement court directives, a factor that could influence political stability ahead of a scheduled court hearing on Sep 16 and a PTI‑planned nationwide march on Sep 27.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar argued that a convicted prisoner must be treated inside jail or at a public hospital, contesting the Supreme Court’s private‑hospital order, while the government later claimed security concerns forced Khan’s brief placement at the public Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences instead of Shifa.