Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was transferred back to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Friday morning after undergoing a comprehensive medical examination at a hospital in Islamabad, following an order by the Supreme Court.
The development took a dramatic turn at the hospital where Khan was examined, as the government initially failed to identify the facility before later confirming that he had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), rather than Shifa International Hospital, as named in the Supreme Court’s order.
Khan was taken to the hospital shortly before the 48-hour deadline set by the Supreme Court expired.
In an earlier post on X, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar did not identify the hospital, saying only that “In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, the prisoner was taken to the hospital under appropriate security arrangements during the night of August 20 and 21, 2026.”
About an hour later, Tarar issued another post identifying PIMS as the hospital where Khan’s medical examination was conducted.
“The medical examination was conducted at PIMS Hospital, with doctors from Shifa International Hospital also present,” Tarar said.
He said Khan was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa International because of the security situation allegedly created by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers along the route to and outside Shifa International Hospital.
“Given the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa International Hospital, he was taken to PIMS, where he was found to be medically fit following the examination,” Tarar said.
He added that Khan had previously been provided with medical facilities and would continue to receive medical care as needed.
According to Tarar, a team of qualified doctors, including specialists in ophthalmology, cardiology and general medicine, conducted Khan’s examination and declared him medically fit. Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, was also present during the medical examination and treatment process.
Two days earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the government to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital, a private hospital in Islamabad, for a comprehensive medical examination.
The government subsequently filed a review petition against the decision, but the court registrar returned it on Thursday after raising several objections. The Supreme Court had also ordered the formation of a medical board to assess Khan’s health and directed that his personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, and his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, be allowed to remain with him and serve as members of the board.
The three-member bench further ordered that Khan be allowed to meet his family once a week and speak with his sons by telephone twice a week. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for September 16. The revelation that Khan was examined at PIMS rather than Shifa International sparked a fresh debate among his millions of followers on social media, with questions about why the hospital named in the Supreme Court’s order was not used.
PIMS is a leading public teaching hospital in Pakistan, with senior specialists across relevant medical departments and advanced facilities. It is also the same hospital where Khan has previously undergone treatment for his eyesight.
Sources told The Media Line that, under established procedures and the law, medical examinations of individuals in custody are routinely conducted at government hospitals.
Pakistan’s former prime minister and cricket legend has spent the past three years behind bars since his imprisonment in August 2023. Khan served as prime minister from 2018 until his removal in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, and has since faced numerous legal cases.
Khan denies all wrongdoing and maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated, while the government rejects allegations that he is being politically persecuted.
Khan has 20.6 million followers on X, making him one of the most widely followed political figures in South Asia.
