Pakistan Supreme Court orders Imran Khan shifted to Shifa Hospital for medical check
Synopsis
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the transfer of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital after a jail doctor warned the 74-year-old is at risk of serious complications from uncontrolled blood pressure. With a UN Special Rapporteur already flagging his 33-month near-solitary confinement as a breach of the Mandela Rules, the ruling puts Pakistan's treatment of its most prominent political prisoner under intense legal and international scrutiny.
Key Takeaways
Pakistan's Supreme Court on 18 August ordered Imran Khan transferred to Shifa International Hospital , Islamabad, for a comprehensive medical examination.
A three-member bench led by Justice Shahid Waheed also directed weekly family meetings and the formation of a dedicated medical board including Khan's personal physician and sister Uzma Khan .
A PIMS doctor who examined Khan on 1 August flagged uncontrolled blood pressure, palpitations, and headache, recommending a CT coronary angiography .
Khan, 74 , has been held at Adiala Jail since August 2023 — over 33 months according to the UN.
UN Special Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards warned his near-total solitary confinement 'far exceeds the Mandela Rules' and called for restoration of humane conditions.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday, 18 August ordered authorities to transfer jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for a comprehensive medical examination within the next few days, according to local media reports. The directive came from a three-member bench led by Justice Shahid Waheed, which was hearing multiple petitions seeking Khan's hospitalisation and restored access to his family.
What the Court Ordered
'Mindful of the fundamental right, we are issuing this order to ensure the health and safety of the prisoner,' Justice Waheed was quoted as saying by leading Pakistani daily Dawn. The bench grounded its ruling in the constitutional guarantee of the right to life and access to medical facilities.
Beyond the hospital transfer, the court directed authorities to ensure weekly family meetings for Khan and ordered the constitution of a dedicated medical board. Notably, the board is to include Khan's personal physician as well as his sister, Uzma Khan.
What the Medical Report Revealed
The ruling followed a health report submitted to the Supreme Court a day earlier by the Superintendent of Adiala Jail, where Khan has been held since August 2023. According to Dawn, Dr Akhtar Ali Bandeshah of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) examined Khan on 1 August and documented complaints of uncontrolled and fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache, and restlessness.
The doctor reportedly recommended a CT coronary angiography and an increase in blood pressure medication, warning that the 74-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder was at risk of developing serious complications. Khan reportedly attributed part of his stress to restricted meetings with his wife and family, as well as the denial of access to newspapers and television.
Khan's Earlier Petition and UN Concerns
Khan had approached the Supreme Court as far back as May, seeking transfer to Shifa International Hospital along with access to personal physicians, family members, and legal counsel, and requesting that his medical records be shared with his family.
The case has drawn international scrutiny. Last month, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards publicly expressed concern over Khan's detention conditions and his alleged denial of adequate medical care. In a LinkedIn post, Edwards wrote: 'Fmr PM Imran Khan has now been held in near-total solitary for 33 months in a small, windowless cell under 24/7 CCTV. Often more than 2 weeks continuously, without exercise or meaningful human contact. This far exceeds the MANDELA rules.'
Edwards further stated: 'I am also concerned about reports that he is being denied proper medical care and is suffering from serious medical issues that have not been treated appropriately, compounding a spinal injury from a 2013 accident and bullet wounds sustained in a November 2022 assassination attempt. I call on Pakistan to restore humane conditions and allow him his choice of medical examination and appropriate treatment.'
What Happens Next
Authorities are expected to execute the hospital transfer within the court-stipulated timeframe. The medical board, once constituted, will oversee Khan's treatment plan going forward. Whether the court's intervention translates into a sustained improvement in detention conditions — or remains a one-time directive — is likely to be closely monitored by PTI, legal observers, and international human rights bodies alike.
Point of View
But it is also reactive — Khan has been in Adiala Jail since August 2023, and it took a formal medical report, multiple petitions, and UN-level pressure to produce even a hospital-transfer order. The bench's language, anchoring the ruling in the constitutional right to life, is a quiet rebuke to the prison administration. The harder question is enforcement: Pakistani courts have previously issued directives on Khan's access to counsel and family that were only partially implemented. Whether this order is executed fully, or becomes another data point in a pattern of selective compliance, will define its actual significance.
NationPress
18 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered Imran Khan to be shifted to hospital?
The Supreme Court ordered the transfer after a jail doctor's report flagged serious health concerns, including uncontrolled blood pressure, palpitations, and the risk of further complications in the 74-year-old former prime minister. The bench cited the constitutional right to life and access to medical facilities as the basis for its ruling.
Which hospital will Imran Khan be transferred to?
The court has ordered Khan's transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for a comprehensive medical examination. Khan himself had petitioned for this transfer as far back as May.
How long has Imran Khan been in Adiala Jail?
Imran Khan has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail since August 2023 — a period of over 33 months, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
What did the UN say about Imran Khan's detention conditions?
UN Special Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards stated that Khan has been held in near-total solitary confinement in a small, windowless cell under 24/7 CCTV surveillance for 33 months, calling the conditions a breach of the UN's Mandela Rules. She also expressed concern about the denial of adequate medical care and called on Pakistan to restore humane conditions.
What other relief did the Supreme Court grant Imran Khan?
Beyond the hospital transfer, the court directed authorities to ensure weekly meetings between Khan and his family members. It also ordered the establishment of a medical board that will include his personal physician and his sister, Uzma Khan.
