Former prime minister arrives at Islamabad hospital under tight security as medical panel prepares to assess his condition.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has been shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on the orders of the Supreme Court.
The 73-year-old former premier was brought to the hospital under heavy security, where a special panel of medical experts will assess his condition and determine whether he requires admission for further medical examination and treatment.
Ahead of his arrival, authorities completed extensive security arrangements at the hospital. Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi visited the facility with senior police officers and reviewed the security measures.
A heavy contingent of police was deployed around the hospital, while vehicles parked along nearby roads were removed using lifters as part of the security operation.
According to PTI sources, authorities formally informed PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan about Imran Khan’s transfer.
The Supreme Court had directed on Tuesday that the former prime minister be shifted to the medical facility within two days. The federal government subsequently challenged the order through a review petition, but the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office later raised objections to the plea.
PTI considers possible next steps
PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said it was too early to determine whether Imran Khan could eventually be shifted from the hospital to his Bani Gala residence.
Raja said any building could potentially be declared a sub-jail, adding that such an arrangement could be considered if medical experts concluded that returning Imran Khan to prison would adversely affect his health.
He said a report submitted to the court had indicated that jail conditions were causing anxiety for the PTI founder.
“These are all possible options,” Raja said.
Imran Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions that he and his party describe as politically motivated. He has faced multiple legal cases since his removal as prime minister in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote.
Bukhari says Imran would not confront military leadership
Meanwhile, Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to Imran Khan, told Reuters that the former prime minister would not confront the Pakistan Army or Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, if released.
“If Imran Khan was released tomorrow, hypothetically, he wouldn’t do anything that would effectively damage the country,” Bukhari said, describing the PTI founder as “magnanimous”.
He said this did not mean Imran Khan would go “loggerheads with the establishment” or the military leadership.
“You control your own hurt. You curb your own pain. You swallow it for the betterment of your country,” Bukhari said.
Bukhari described the Supreme Court’s ruling as a “new ray of hope” and said PTI would comply with the court’s direction that party workers and leaders should not gather outside the hospital.
He said senior PTI leaders had last spoken with Imran Khan around eight months ago.
Bukhari, who is currently living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, also said senior PTI leaders who had gone into hiding could participate in or help organise political mobilisation.
“You’ll probably see a lot of leadership come out of hiding,” he said. “Even if you don’t see them, you’ll see them mobilising.”