Imran Khan moved from prison for court-ordered treatment at Islamabad hospital

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was moved from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail late Thursday for court-ordered treatment at a private hospital in Islamabad, his party said, following months of legal battles over his health and access to personal doctors. Videos widely shared on social media showed a large convoy of vehicles leaving the prison under heavy security, though Khan himself was not visible. He was expected to arrive shortly afterward at Shifa International Hospital in the capital. Security was tight around the hospital, with police deployed on surrounding roads, access restricted and media personnel kept at a distance. Khan's party had urged supporters not to gather outside the facility in accordance with Supreme Court directions. The transfer is politically sensitive because Khan, 73, remains one of Pakistan's most popular political figures despite more than three years behind bars and prolonged periods largely out of public view. The former cricket star commands a huge following, particularly among younger Pakistanis, and remains at the center of a bitter confrontation between his opposition movement and the country's powerful military establishment and government. The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital within 48 hours for specialist examination and treatment, with his personal physician involved in the medical process. The court allowed him to remain there until Sept. 16, subject to recommendations by a medical board. 'Today Imran Khan Sahib's check-up and treatment is about to take place at Al-Shifa Hospital in the presence of his family and personal doctors,' Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said in a post on X. The move came hours after the Supreme Court registrar's office returned a government petition seeking a review of the hospital order because of filing deficiencies. The government had argued that allowing a convicted prisoner treatment at a specified private hospital could encourage other inmates to seek similar relief. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Wednesday the government did not dispute Khan's right to medical treatment but questioned whether a prisoner could insist on a particular private facility. 'Every prisoner has the right to be provided medical facilities according to the law. And they have been provided and will continue to be provided,' Tarar said, before asking: 'But, can a private hospital be specified?' Khan has previously been taken from prison to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad for treatment of central retinal vein occlusion in his right eye, a condition that can impair vision. He underwent a series of procedures at PIMS earlier this year, beginning in January. POLITICAL POWER FROM PRISON Khan, who captained Pakistan to its only cricket World Cup victory in 1992, served as prime minister from 2018 until he was removed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. His relationship with Pakistan's powerful military deteriorated sharply around the end of his government. Khan has accused the military and his political opponents of engineering his removal and subsequent imprisonment, allegations they deny. The military says it does not interfere in politics. He has faced more than 100 legal cases since leaving office, ranging from corruption allegations to charges related to violence by his supporters following his brief arrest in May 2023. All his convictions except a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust land corruption case have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. Khan denies wrongdoing. His imprisonment had done little to diminish his electoral appeal. After the PTI was stripped of its cricket-bat election symbol over a dispute about its internal elections, its candidates were forced to contest February 2024 general elections as independents. Khan-backed candidates nevertheless won more National Assembly seats than any other political grouping, but fell short of a majority. Rival parties subsequently formed a coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. SIGNS OF A THAW? The hospital transfer also comes amid tentative signs of a possible shift in the years-long confrontation between Khan's movement and the military. Close Khan aide Zulfikar Bukhari told Reuters this week that Khan would not seek confrontation with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir if released, one of the clearest signals yet of a possible softening in his party's rhetoric. Bukhari said there were no talks between the party and military, however, while analysts cautioned that Khan's own position could differ from that of party leaders who have been outside prison. PTI also plans to proceed with a nationwide march on Sept. 27 demanding Khan's medical treatment, access to his family, doctors and lawyers, faster hearings in his cases and ultimately his release.