Pakistan court orders hospital transfer for jailed ex-PM Imran Khan

Islamabad, Aug 18 - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the transfer of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to a hospital for medical examinations, following a petition by his lawyers regarding allegations of poor health, according to the source. The 73-year-old former leader, currently serving a 17-year jail sentence on corruption charges, will be moved to Shifa International Hospital in the capital, Islamabad within two days, Justice Shahid Waheed announced on Tuesday.

Khan, along with his wife and spiritual guide, Bushra Bibi, were both sentenced to 17 years behind bars last year. The specifics of Khan's health issues raised in the petition were not disclosed. Khan received eye treatment at a hospital earlier this year, with his family and legal team stating at the time that he had lost most of his vision in his right eye.

Salman Akram Raja, the general secretary of Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), hailed the ruling as a "major step, a major decision, a great blessing" in a statement to media outside the court. He urged supporters of the ex-cricket captain, who remains Pakistan's dominant political figure, to comply with the court's agreement that there "must not be any crowding or commotion."

Khan served as Pakistan's Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 before being ousted in a no-confidence vote amid political turmoil between his government and the country's influential military. He has since been entangled in numerous legal battles on corruption and other charges, which his party claims are politically motivated. Khan's arrest in May 2023 sparked nationwide protests, some of which turned violent, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

Khan was elected by millions of Pakistanis who grew up admiring him for his cricketing prowess, having led the nation to a World Cup victory in 1992. He aimed to establish a national welfare state modelled on the Islamic golden age of the 7th to 14th centuries, a period of cultural and scientific flourishing in the Muslim world.

However, his PTI party struggled to make significant improvements to Pakistan's economic situation, with rampant inflation, mounting debt, and a weakening rupee hampering reform efforts.