Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan’s Family Accuses Government of Defying Court Order

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s family has accused the government of violating a Supreme Court order requiring him to be transferred to a private hospital for medical treatment.

Khan’s sister, Uzma Khanum, and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, said Friday that officials gave conflicting information about Khan’s whereabouts during a chaotic night.

The Supreme Court had ordered authorities to transfer Khan from Adiala prison to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad by midnight on Thursday. However, Khan was instead taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he spent only a few hours before being returned to prison at about 5am.

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following several convictions that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says are politically motivated. Most of the convictions have since been suspended or overturned on appeal.

Sister describes chaotic night

Uzma Khanum said she had not seen her brother for nearly a year. When she finally met him at PIMS after midnight, Khan reportedly expressed surprise at seeing her after 10 months.

She claimed that the medical examination did not meet the requirements of the Supreme Court’s order. According to her, doctors did not conduct blood tests and were initially unaware of the eye drops Khan had been prescribed.

Khan also complained about being held in isolation for 10 months without reading materials or television. He reportedly said his concerns about high blood pressure had been ignored by prison doctors for months.

Doctor says he was kept waiting at Shifa

Dr Faisal Sultan said he was taken to Shifa International Hospital at around 12:30am and waited for nearly three hours.

He said officials repeatedly told him that Khan would arrive shortly. At about 4:30am, however, he was informed that Khan would not be coming and was sent back to Adiala prison.

Sultan said he never saw his patient that night.

Government defends its decision

Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said Khan had been examined by a team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician.

He said the doctors declared Khan medically fit.

Tarar explained that Khan was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa because of security concerns allegedly caused by PTI supporters gathering around the hospital.

PTI rejected the explanation, saying it had instructed its supporters to stay away from Shifa and that there were no independent reports of a serious security incident around the hospital.

PTI threatens legal action

PTI strongly condemned the government’s handling of the matter.

Senior PTI leader Zulfikar Bukhari described the incident as a “complete violation” of the Supreme Court’s order and said Khan had not received a proper medical examination.

PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party was preparing to file a contempt-of-court petition against the government.

The party also alleged that sending Khan’s doctor to Shifa was part of a deliberate attempt to create the impression that authorities were complying with the court order while Khan was secretly taken to PIMS.

The case is scheduled to return to court on September 16, although PTI lawyers say they intend to challenge the government’s actions before then.