Imran Khan’s family and party say Pakistan violated court order by taking him to government hospital

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The family and opposition party of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday accused authorities of violating a Supreme Court order by taking him to a government hospital for a medical examination instead of a private hospital designated by the court.

Khan’s sister Uzma Khan told a news conference she was present at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, a government-run hospital in Islamabad, when Khan was brought there overnight.

Khan’s personal physician, Faisal Sultan, said he had been escorted to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for Khan until early Friday. He said he was eventually told that Khan had returned to Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

The accounts came hours after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan had been returned to prison after doctors examined him and found him medically fit.

Tarar said authorities took Khan to the public hospital because of security concerns involving supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, who had gathered outside Shifa International Hospital or were heading there. He said Khan was found to be in good health.

Dozens of journalists gathered outside the private hospital overnight after Khan’s party said he was being taken there. Authorities deployed heavy security around the facility.

Khan's sister said that during a meeting with her, Khan complained that he had been kept in solitary confinement, which she said amounted to mental torture for him.

Suhail Afridi, a senior PTI leader, also accused the government of violating the order by taking Khan to the public hospital.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Khan be examined at Shifa International Hospital by a medical board that included specialists and one of his personal physicians. On Thursday, government minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry wrote on X that the government would fully comply with the Supreme Court ruling.

The government maintains that under existing prison rules, inmates receive medical treatment in prison and can be transferred to government hospitals when necessary.

Concerns about Khan’s health intensified in late January after his family said he had lost about 85% of the vision in his right eye, a claim the government disputed. Authorities later said his condition was improving.

The former cricket star turned politician was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.