Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was transferred late Thursday from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, escorted by police and security personnel, according to local media reports.
The transfer followed a Supreme Court order issued on Tuesday requiring authorities to move Khan within two days. The order requires him to be examined by a medical board that includes his personal physician.
What the court order requires
Khan is expected to remain hospitalised until at least his next hearing on September 16, according to his lawyer Uzair Bhandari. The government had filed a petition against the Supreme Court’s decision.
The move fulfils a demand made for months by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and his family, who had raised concerns about his health. The government has not yet issued a comment, while the party had shared a live broadcast of preparations for the transfer but had not released a statement on the move.
Related coverage: Why Imran Khan’s third year in prison has renewed pressure on Pakistan.
How the transfer unfolded
Authorities completed preparations earlier on Thursday before escorting Khan from Adiala jail to the hospital in the capital. Pakistan’s Geo News reported that the transfer was carried out by police and security personnel after the court’s deadline was set.
Khan is 73 and has been imprisoned since August 2023. His next hearing is scheduled for September 16.
Why the hospital stay matters
The transfer is expected to be Khan’s longest period physically outside jail premises since his imprisonment. He was convicted in several corruption-related cases, which he and his party maintain are politically motivated.
More context: Trump seeks Supreme Court review to dismiss $83m defamation award to E Jean Carroll.
Khan, a former cricket star and politician, was removed as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.
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