Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been moved back to prison early on Friday after being examined by doctors at a hospital in Islamabad, who deemed him “medically fit”.
Khan was seen by “a team of qualified doctors” including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist and a physician, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said.
The Supreme Court had on Tuesday ordered that the cricketer-turned-politician be taken to the hospital within 48 hours to be examined by physicians, following complaints about his health.
It was the most significant relief Khan has received from the courts since he was imprisoned in 2023 on corruption charges, which he says were politically motivated.
As well as being transferred to hospital, this court order also specified Khan should be allowed to see his family, which he has not been able to do in months. On Tuesday night, his sister Azma Khan visited him in prison.
She was present throughout all stages of the medical examination overnight on Thursday, Tarar said.
Khan’s political party, Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is normally quick to claim court decisions that go against him are politically motivated. It has not publicly been drawn on speculation that the Supreme Court’s decision indicates political manoeuvring behind the scenes.
The area around Shifa International Hospital has been sealed off by police with barriers, officers and police vans in place. Outside the hospital the BBC saw cars being moved with a truck to clear the street while police cars and armoured vehicles patrolled.
The Supreme Court told Khan’s party not to conduct press conferences outside the hospital. This is a warning not to politicise his hospital stay.
