Imran Khan Back in Prison After Hospital Examination
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was moved back to prison on Friday after doctors at Shifa International Hospital declared him medically fit.
The Supreme Court ordered that he be taken to the hospital within 48 hours following health complaints. A team of doctors – an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist and a physician – examined him overnight, and the verdict was that he needed continued treatment.
For Khan, who was imprisoned in 2023 on corruption charges he claims are politically motivated, this was the biggest relief granted by the court. The order also required him to be allowed to see family; his sister, Azma Khan, had visited him the night before the exam.
Police sealed the area around the hospital with barriers, armed vehicles and traffic control while the BBC video shows traffic being cleared. The Supreme Court warned PTI supporters not to stage news conferences outside the hospital, to prevent politicising the situation.
Khan, a former cricket captain, remains a key figure in Pakistani politics with a large following despite his 17‑year sentences for him and his wife Bushra Bibi.
Additional reporting by Usman Zahid.
