Imran taken back to jail after brief visit to Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital amid tight security

ISLAMABAD: PTI founder Imran Khan was taken back to Adiala jail after undergoing a medical check-up at Shifa International Hospital during the early hours of Friday, according to media reports.

The former premier was brought to the hospital in compliance with the orders issued by the Supreme Court earlier this week. He was brought to the hospital via Pitras Bokhari Road and entered through Gate No. 1.

Shifa International Hospital is located in Islamabad’s Sector H-8, which also houses several educational institutes and other government offices.

Visuals from outside the hospital showed that both Pitras Bukhari Road and Service Road South had been cordoned off, and a sizeable contingent of law enforcement personnel was present there on Thursday night.

The last time such extraordinary security arrangements were witnessed in the vicinity was during the Panamagate proceedings against former PM Nawaz Sharif, which were held at the Federal Judicial Academy — located just a stone’s throw from the hospital.

Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. However, his health has deteriorated over the course of his prison sentence, prompting outcry from members of the party.

Maintain your distance: PTI’s Akram

Separately, the PTI urged supporters to maintain their distance. In a post on X, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram wrote, “Imran Khan sahab will, Insha’Allah, be transferred to the hospital today.

“We are fully aware of the sentiments of Imran Khan’s supporters, who are eager to catch a glimpse of their leader.”

However, he requested that people maintain their distance from the hospital and help ensure the party founder’s health and treatment.

SC orders Imran’s transfer to jail

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the government to shift the jailed ex-premier to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within the next two days.

Headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, a three-member SC bench, also comprising Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim, issued the ruling on several petitions seeking Imran’s hospitalisation as well as meetings with his family members in a packed courtroom No 3.

“We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation of the state, and consequently of the Supreme Court, to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of persons in custody,” said the order authored by Justice Waheed.

“A prisoner does not, by reason of his incarceration, cease to be entitled to humane treatment and necessary medical care,” the order said, adding that, as an interim arrangement and without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties, the court was inclined to issue the directions, which would be complied with by the respondents, including the government, its officers and agencies, in letter and spirit until the next date of hearing.

The court proceedings were also attended by the PTI founder’s sisters, namely Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan, as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, among others.

Also on Tuesday, Noreen was granted a meeting with Imran for the first time this year. Jail sources said that the two met in the jail’s conference room, where they discussed his health and other issues. Noreen also informed the ex-premier about the SC’s earlier order to have him taken to Shifa International Hospital for a medical checkup, they added.

Upon exiting the jail, Noreen refused to speak to the media: when questioned, she signalled her silence with a finger to her lips.

The last confirmed meeting of the PTI founder was with Dr Uzma on Dec 2, 2025. Following the meeting, Uzma said that while Imran’s health was fine, he was suffering from “mental torture” and was kept in isolation.

The ex-premier had also previously met with Noreen on Nov 4 last year.

On Wednesday, the government filed a petition in the SC, seeking a review and recall of its order to move Imran to the hospital for treatment.

The government’s review petition, filed by Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik on behalf of the federal capital’s chief commissioner a day after the SC’s ruling, termed the interim order “discriminatory”.

The petition stated that the order was “in excess of jurisdiction” and, therefore, “liable to be reviewed”.

However, on Thursday, the apex court returned the review petition against its Aug 18 order, with the Supreme Court registrar’s office citing incomplete paper books as the reason for returning the petition.

Former premier’s health

The SC’s ruling came a day after the superintendent of Adiala jail submitted a report to the court on the ex-premier’s health condition.

According to the report, the jail administration said adequate healthcare facilities were being provided to him and his wife, with their health and well-being a priority. Medical officers visit Imran thrice a day, checking his meals and recording his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.

However, an annexure to the report stated that Dr Akhtar Ali Bandeshah of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) examined him on Aug 1 and noted complaints of uncontrolled and fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache and restlessness. The ex-premier had attributed his symptoms and stress partly to infrequent meetings with his wife, family and social contacts, as well as the absence of newspapers and TV.

The doctor recommended measures to reduce mental stress, including more frequent meetings with his wife and access to reading material. He also recommended a CT coronary angiography and an increase in BP medication, noting that the 74-year-old PTI leader faced a risk of complications.

On Aug 10, the SC was informed, a medical board comprising Pims specialists examined him after he complained of heaviness in the head and palpitations. It recommended a one-hour daily walk and relaxation in his prison routine, besides access to newspapers, magazines, television and books.

The board also recommended more frequent interaction with immediate family members or his spouse, saying this could help control his anxiety and blood pressure.

The report also cited his treatment for an eye condition at Pims and said his vision had almost returned to normal after intervention by senior ophthalmologists.

The government and the opposition have been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency in not ensuring appropriate treatment for Imran, and not allowing his personal physicians access to him. The government denies these allegations.