Dr Faisal Sultan Reveals Hours-Long Wait at Shifa Hospital During Imran Khan Medical Transfer

• Dr Faisal Sultan says he was taken from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital shortly after midnight.
• He waited at the hospital for nearly three hours but Imran Khan did not arrive there during that period.
• Dr Uzma Khan was separately taken to PIMS, according to Sultan’s account.
• Sultan said they had no mobile phones and remained unaware of the exact plan during the overnight movement.

Dr Faisal Sultan has revealed details of an unusual overnight episode surrounding PTI founder Imran Khan’s medical transfer, saying he was taken from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad and kept waiting there for nearly three hours without knowing whether Imran Khan would arrive.

Speaking about the events of the night, Sultan said he and Dr Uzma Khan had reached Adiala Jail in two separate vehicles. As required, they left their mobile phones in their cars before entering the jail premises.

According to Sultan, at around 12:30am to 12:40am, an official approached him and asked him to accompany them. He asked whether he was being taken alone and, after being told that he was, got into a vehicle.

After another five to seven minutes of waiting, the vehicle departed. Sultan said it was dark and the vehicle had tinted windows, making it difficult for him to immediately determine where he was being taken.

After travelling for around 30 to 45 minutes, he arrived at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. He said security arrangements were already in place at the hospital, with a police vehicle travelling ahead of him and one or two vehicles following behind.

Once inside the hospital, Sultan was asked to remain in a waiting area. He said he stayed there for approximately two-and-a-half to three hours while repeatedly asking officials when the person they were expecting would arrive.

According to Sultan, officials kept telling him that the arrival was expected shortly. However, he said it appeared that the officials themselves did not have complete information about what exactly was planned.

At approximately 4:15am to 4:30am, Sultan said officials informed him that it appeared the expected arrival would not take place and that the person concerned might have been taken back. He was then asked to return to Adiala Jail.

Sultan said he travelled back to the jail in the same vehicle. Upon returning, he began looking for Dr Uzma Khan, who arrived shortly afterwards in another vehicle.

He said Dr Uzma asked him where he had been, to which he replied that he had been taken to Shifa International Hospital. When Sultan asked where she had been, Dr Uzma told him that she had been at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Sultan said neither had access to their mobile phones during this period. He was therefore unable to contact anyone or obtain information about what was happening. He added that police officials accompanying him also indicated that security jammers were affecting communications.

When asked during the interview whether he had effectively been “abducted” during those hours, Sultan replied, “Absolutely,” although he stressed that the officials dealing with him had been “very decent and civil.”

He explained that his concern stemmed from being kept without information for around three hours, not knowing when Imran Khan would arrive, what the next step would be or whether the planned medical examination would take place.

Sultan estimated that the journey from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital took around 40 minutes, while the return journey lasted approximately 25 to 30 minutes. He said they were travelling back around the time of the Fajr call to prayer.

His account provides new details about the overnight movements of the doctors during arrangements connected with Imran Khan’s medical transfer, including the fact that Sultan and Dr Uzma were taken to two different hospitals and remained unable to communicate with each other during the process.