Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was shifted from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad late Tuesday for a medical checkup, hospital officials said on Wednesday. Jailed Imran was brought to the hospital from Adiala Jail during the night between November 10 and 11, according to an official statement issued by the Pims administration.
The statement said that the examination included a follow-up treatment for his eyes. On the recommendation of an eye specialist, the PTI founder was administered an anti-VEGF injection in his eye, with the procedure carried out by the ophthalmology department's team.
The hospital administration said that all of Imran's vital medical indicators were found to be within normal limits during the examination. It further said that the former prime minister's overall physical condition was satisfactory and stable.
Sources said Imran was taken to the hospital under tight security arrangements, with similar security measures maintained during his return to prison following the examination. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that he learned about Imran's hospital visit from media reports.
The PTI chief reiterated his demand to transfer the former premier to Shifa International Hospital as per the Supreme Court's August 18 directives and to constitute a medical board, comprising Imran's personal physician and a member of his family. "Regrettably, this order has remained unimplemented for nearly three months," he wrote in a post on X, demanding Imran be immediately shifted to Shifa Hospital for comprehensive medical examinations, necessary tests, and appropriate treatment.
The development came a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed that lawyers Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar be allowed to meet Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in Adiala Jail, with the attorney general saying the meetings could be arranged if they assured the court that arguments in the appeals would begin at the next hearing.
A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif had issued directives while hearing appeals filed by Imran and Bushra against their convictions in the 190 million pound case. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced the former prime minister to 14 years' imprisonment with a fine of 1 million rupees, while the ex-first lady was awarded seven years' imprisonment along with a fine of 500,000 rupees.
During Tuesday's hearing, lawyer Khosa told the IHC that he had repeatedly sought a meeting with the former premier but had not been allowed to meet him. Khosa requested at least an hour-long meeting with the PTI founder, after which the court directed the Islamabad advocate general to arrange his meeting with Imran and Bushra.
The former premier's counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, also requested another meeting, saying his previous meeting with the PTI founder had provided instructions but was insufficient. Safdar said Imran had told him that his eyesight had improved but his blood pressure remained uncontrolled, warning of a risk of brain haemorrhage.