Imran Khan shifted to Shifa International Hospital amid tight security measures

WEB DESK: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on Thursday night amid tight security, following a Supreme Court order for his comprehensive medical examination and treatment.

Police and other law enforcement personnel were deployed around Adiala Jail and along the route to Islamabad as preparations were made for Khan’s transfer.

Sources said that a six-member medical board will examine Khan and recommend the next course of treatment. The board comprises specialists in internal medicine, general surgery, cardiology and ophthalmology.

According to prison sources, Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, had entered Adiala Jail ahead of the transfer. A final medical assessment was also being conducted before he was moved to the hospital.

Sources said the section where Khan is expected to be admitted has been notified as a sub-jail.

After initial treatment, Khan is expected to be shifted to the fourth floor of F Block at Shifa International Hospital, according to sources. The floor, part of the hospital’s executive section, has facilities for specialised tests, including those related to kidney and liver conditions.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was also hospitalised in the same block, sources said.

Security was tightened around the hospital, with key entrances leading to the facility closed ahead of Khan’s arrival.

The transfer follows an Aug. 18 order by the Supreme Court directing authorities to move Khan to a hospital for a comprehensive medical examination and treatment.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed ordered the formation of a multidisciplinary medical board and directed that Khan’s personal physician and sister be involved in his examination and treatment.

The court had given authorities two days to implement the order, making Thursday the deadline for Khan’s transfer.

The order came after petitions were filed concerning Khan’s medical treatment and access to family members and doctors.

The court also directed that Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, be involved in his medical examination and treatment.

The apex court had given the authorities two days to implement the order, making Thursday the deadline for his transfer.

The order was issued after petitions were filed concerning Khan’s medical treatment and his access to family members and doctors.

According to medical information presented before the court, Khan has been experiencing fluctuations in blood pressure and has reported symptoms including palpitations, headaches and restlessness.

Earlier, sources at Adiala Jail said Khan was also suffering from high blood pressure, eye-related problems and muscular pain.

His condition is expected to be assessed in detail by the multidisciplinary medical board at Shifa International Hospital, where six doctors will determine the appropriate course of treatment.

Imran Khan can be sent abroad for treatment ‘if need arises’

The government on Thursday hinted that PTI founder Imran Khan could be sent abroad for medical treatment if deemed necessary, saying it had approached the Supreme Court only to seek clarification on whether relief granted in a recent order was limited to one individual or extended to other prisoners as well.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry made the remarks during a heated Senate session after Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas raised concerns over inadequate healthcare facilities for former premier Imran Khan and detained PTI leaders, including Dr Yasmin Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry, and called for relief for all political prisoners.

Chaudhry, who had earlier assured the House that the Supreme Court’s judgment would be implemented in letter and spirit, said convicted prisoners facing health issues were shifted to government hospitals under the law.

 “It is nice to know that the government has acquired a hospital in the United Kingdom,” PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz quipped, referring to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s treatment in the UK after his conviction.

Meanwhile, the government had challenged the Supreme Court’s order through a review petition, arguing that directing the treatment of one prisoner at a private hospital could set a precedent for other inmates.

However, according to reports, the Supreme Court registrar’s office returned the review petition on Thursday due to procedural objections.

The development cleared the way for authorities to proceed with arrangements for Khan’s transfer, although the government reportedly filed a review petition after addressing the procedural objections.

PTI leaders welcomed the expected transfer, describing it as an important development concerning Khan’s health.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed that Khan would be shifted to the hospital and appealed to supporters not to gather outside the facility.

Akram said the party understood supporters’ desire to see their leader but stressed that Khan’s health and treatment remained the priority. He urged party workers and the public to stay away from the hospital to allow doctors to treat Khan without disruption and ensure a peaceful environment at the facility.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also welcomed the development, saying Khan’s medical examination and treatment would be conducted at Shifa in the presence of his family members and personal doctors.

Meanwhile, PTI workers and Khan’s family members continued to monitor developments outside Adiala Jail.

According to jail sources, PTI leader Alima Khan and Qasim Zaman were present outside Gate 5 of the prison.