Pakistan Government to Contest Supreme Court Order on Imran Khan’s Hospital Transfer

Pakistan’s government is gearing up for a fight with the Supreme Court after the court told authorities to move former Prime Minister Imran Khan from prison to a private hospital in Islamabad. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar pushed back, calling the ruling outside the bounds of the law. He said prisoners should only get medical treatment inside prison or at public hospitals.

The Supreme Court had given officials two days to transfer Khan, now 73, to Shifa International Hospital. The court said Khan could see his own doctor and get weekly visits from family. They also told the hospital to set up a board of specialists—an eye doctor, a heart doctor, and an internist—to supervise his treatment. The ruling followed months of complaints from Khan’s family and supporters about his health. He’s had a serious eye problem that, they say, could lead to permanent vision loss.

Khan’s been locked up in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since August 2023, fighting a string of legal cases he insists are politically driven. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), called the court’s decision a major step and demanded the government follow through. Khan’s family—especially his sons in London—have been frustrated by blocked access and delayed visas that keep them from visiting.

Government leaders say sending Khan to a private hospital would create a precedent for thousands of other prisoners, which could complicate equal treatment under the law. Their next move is to ask the court to reconsider, proposing instead that Khan gets his care at a public hospital.

This clash highlights how much tension there still is between the courts, the government, and the public—especially around Khan, who continues to influence Pakistan’s political scene.