ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was returned to prison Friday after being transferred to a hospital overnight for a medical examination, authorities said.
Khan, 73, was taken to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad late Thursday under security protocols, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X.
“In the light of the Supreme Court’s order, the prisoner was taken to the hospital under appropriate security arrangements during the night between August 20 and 21,” Tarar said.
A team of doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist and a physician, examined Khan and declared him medically fit, Tarar added.
سپریم کورٹ کے فیصلے کی روشنی میں، قیدی کو 20 اور 21 اگست 2026 کی درمیانی شب مناسب حفاظتی انتظامات کے تحت ہسپتال لے جایا گیا۔ ماہرِ امراضِ چشم، ماہرِ امراضِ قلب اور فزیشن سمیت مستند ڈاکٹروں کی ٹیم نے ان کا تفصیلی معائنہ کیا اور انہیں طبی طور پر صحت مند قرار دیا۔ ان کی ہمشیرہ…
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) August 21, 2026
The move followed a Supreme Court order Tuesday directing that Khan be brought to Shifa for a comprehensive medical examination and treatment. Security outside the hospital had been placed on high alert ahead of his arrival.
The government challenged the court’s order, calling it discriminatory, but the Supreme Court registrar’s office returned the petition after raising procedural objections.
Khan, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has been imprisoned since August 2023.
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the court ruling a “new ray of hope” but said the party would proceed with a nationwide march on Sept. 27 to demand access to Khan, speedy hearings in his cases and his release.
