Supreme Court Orders Imran Khan Shifted to Shifa Hospital for Medical Evaluation

• Supreme Court orders Imran Khan’s transfer from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for treatment and a comprehensive medical examination.
• A medical board will be constituted, while doctors Faisal Sultan and Uzma Khan will accompany him during treatment.
• The court directs that Imran Khan be allowed to meet his family once a week and seeks his complete medical record and details of previous meetings.
• PTI welcomes the ruling and asks supporters not to gather outside the hospital to avoid disruption.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan be shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for medical evaluation and treatment, directing that he remain at the hospital until the next hearing.

A three-member bench issued the directions while hearing cases related to Imran Khan’s medical treatment and meetings with family members. The court ordered the formation of a medical board and directed authorities to transfer the former prime minister to the private hospital under tight security while ensuring that law and order outside the facility is not disturbed.

During the hearing, Justice Shahid Waheed questioned why Imran Khan’s complete medical record had not been placed before the court, observing that the documents submitted so far amounted only to a summary of his medical reports. The bench ordered authorities to submit his complete medical record before the next hearing and noted that once the record was presented in court, it would no longer remain confidential.

The bench also examined details contained in the available medical reports. Justice Shahid Waheed observed that the reports indicated abnormalities relating to Imran Khan’s pulse and heart condition and raised concerns that his vital organs could be affected.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan questioned whether the angiography referred to in the medical report could be performed inside the jail. The Islamabad advocate general informed the bench that the procedure could be carried out at a hospital outside the prison.

PTI counsel Uzair Bhandari requested the court to allow Imran Khan’s sisters and doctors to meet him and sought a comprehensive medical examination at Shifa International Hospital. When Justice Shahid Waheed questioned why a private hospital was being requested instead of a government facility, Bhandari said Imran Khan had frequently been taken to PIMS for treatment.

The court subsequently asked who would bear the cost of treatment at the private hospital. Counsel for Uzma Khan informed the bench that the expenses would be paid by Imran Khan’s side. The Supreme Court later directed that PTI would bear all expenses associated with his treatment at Shifa International Hospital.

The bench ordered that doctors Faisal Sultan and Uzma Khan accompany Imran Khan during his treatment. It also directed PTI not to politicise his medical treatment.

The issue of access to Imran Khan’s medical reports was also discussed. The court asked who would ensure that the reports were neither made public nor used for political purposes. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja assured the bench that the party would not use the medical documents politically, maintaining that they were a matter between Imran Khan, his doctors and his family.

The Supreme Court also raised questions over restrictions on Imran Khan’s meetings with his sisters. The judges observed that meeting family members was a fundamental right and sought an explanation as to why relevant directions issued by the Islamabad High Court had allegedly not been followed.

The Islamabad advocate general told the court that Imran Khan had met his sisters 48 times during the past three years. The bench sought complete details of those meetings along with records concerning his conversations with his children.

The court also directed Adiala Jail authorities to submit the complete record of meetings with Imran Khan during the past three years and explain why the Islamabad High Court’s directions had allegedly not been implemented.

Justice Shahid Waheed asked which of Imran Khan’s sisters should be permitted to meet him. Uzair Bhandari replied that Uzma Khan should be allowed access because she is a doctor.

The additional attorney general argued that the government had not been issued a notice in Uzma Khan’s case. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan said the government’s position would also be considered and noted that the Advocate General of Islamabad was already present before the court.

When the advocate general said he had not appeared in the case relating to Uzma Khan, Justice Afghan questioned why the matter had not been raised earlier. Justice Shahid Waheed also reminded him that he was Islamabad’s senior-most law officer.

The bench further considered conditions surrounding meetings with the PTI founder, including assurances that no media statements would be made afterward. The judges said PTI and Imran Khan’s family would have to submit affidavits confirming that no media talk would take place following such meetings.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan stressed that Imran Khan’s health and medical treatment should not become the subject of political activity.

The Supreme Court also sought a detailed account of the cases pending against Imran Khan, including the number of cases in which he is an under-trial prisoner, cases in which he has been convicted and those in which his sentences have been suspended.

In addition to ordering his hospitalisation, the court directed that Imran Khan be allowed to meet his family once every week. He will remain at Shifa International Hospital until the next hearing, according to the court’s directions.

The hearing was adjourned until after the summer recess. Adiala Jail officials were directed to appear before the court at the next hearing scheduled for September 16, 2026.

PTI welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision. Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party wanted the court’s directions implemented without delay and called for Imran Khan to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital as ordered.

Gohar said PTI would fully comply with the Supreme Court’s directions and urged party workers and supporters not to gather outside Shifa International Hospital. He said supporters should stay away from the facility so that Imran Khan’s treatment could proceed without any disruption, adding that the party would not use his health for political purposes.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi was allowed to meet him at Adiala Jail, according to jail sources.

The meeting reportedly took place in the jail’s conference room, where the siblings discussed Imran Khan’s health and other matters. Sources said Noreen also informed him about the latest developments concerning the Supreme Court’s order.

After the meeting, Noreen left Adiala Jail and reached the Dahgal checkpoint. When a journalist asked whether she had been permitted to meet Imran Khan, she reportedly placed a finger on her lips, signalling that she should remain silent, without publicly confirming or denying the meeting.