Why has Pakistan Supreme Court ordered former prime minister Imran Khan's hospitalisation?

Pakistan's Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday, directing authorities to transfer former Prime Minister Imran Khan to Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital due to concerns over his health condition. The three-member bench, led by Justice Shahid Wahid and including Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim, made the ruling following a petition by Khan.

The court also mandated weekly meetings between Khan and his family members, highlighting the severe restrictions imposed on political prisoners in the country. Additionally, a medical board was to be formed, which would include Khan's personal physician and his sister, Uzma Khan. The court's order comes amid growing concerns over Pakistan's prison conditions, following a report from Adiala jail superintendent about Khan's health issues.

The ex-prime minister's lawyers and family members were instructed not to share medical reports with the media or politicize the matter. Former President Arif Alvi expressed grave concern over Khan's anxiety, high blood pressure, and an elevated heart rate, urging his transfer to a hospital under an independent panel of doctors.

Khan's sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, stated that they had not received any updates about their father's condition as family, lawyers, or doctors were denied access to him for seven months. The lack of medical transparency has triggered unrest, with Khan's supporters staging nationwide demonstrations demanding his release. The state's heavy-handed tactics are rooted in a prolonged political crackdown following Khan's removal in 2022 via a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

Incarcerated since then on charges his aides claim are politically motivated, Khan remains barred from participating in the 2024 general elections.