What happened
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan be shifted from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within two days for medical examination and treatment, and directed authorities to ensure access to his doctors and family.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, resumed proceedings on petitions concerning the PTI founder’s medical condition, treatment and meetings with family members, according to ABC News Pakistan.
The bench directed that Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Uzma Khan accompany Khan during his treatment and allowed him to meet family members once a week. It directed that he remain at Shifa International Hospital until the next hearing, and adjourned further proceedings until 16 September.
What the court said
The decision followed argument over the proposed hospital transfer. Justice Waheed questioned why a private facility was being sought when Khan had previously been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment. PTI lawyer Uzair Bhandari argued that a private hospital would be preferable; asked who would cover the expenses, Bhandari said Dr Uzma Khan would bear the cost.
The court pressed authorities over the medical record, with Justice Waheed asking why only a summary had been submitted. “What is the restriction on providing the complete medical record? We want the complete record, not a summary,” he said. The bench reviewed a report submitted by Adiala jail authorities and discussed concerns about Khan’s pulse and heart condition, and Justice Afghan asked about a recommendation for an angiography and whether the procedure could be performed inside the prison. The Islamabad advocate general said the procedure could be carried out at a hospital outside the jail.
The judges also questioned how Khan’s medical reports would be protected from public disclosure and political use. Senior PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja assured the court that the party would not use the medical information for political purposes, saying the reports were a matter between the doctors, Khan and his family. “Our politics has different principles. We will not politicise health,” Raja said, according to ABC News Pakistan.
The court examined restrictions on meetings between Khan and his sisters, with Justice Waheed asking, “What is the problem in arranging meetings with his sisters?” and emphasising that family access was a fundamental right. The Islamabad advocate general told the court that Khan had met his sisters 48 times during the past three years. The bench ordered authorities to submit details of those meetings and records of his communications with his sons, including call detail records.
The jail report
A report submitted by the Adiala jail superintendent detailed the medical care provided to Khan during his imprisonment. It said he had received treatment from ophthalmologists in Islamabad and Rawalpindi for central retinal vein occlusion, an eye condition diagnosed previously, and that his vision in the affected eye had “almost regained normal” levels.
The document summarised 39 medical examinations conducted by specialists between 4 November 2023 and 10 August 2026, and said government doctors had examined him several times, with records of their consultations maintained by jail authorities. It said Khan and his wife had met every Tuesday under jail rules, with 84 meetings recorded so far.
The government’s response
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the Senate that the government would implement the Supreme Court’s order to move Khan to the private hospital in Islamabad, according to Dawn. PTI Senator Azam Swati said it was “very welcome” that Khan was being taken to Shifa International Hospital for treatment.
Later, Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said in a televised statement that the government would ask the Supreme Court to make “suitable modifications” to its order, including shifting Khan to a government hospital instead of a private facility. He said medical specialists from Shifa or elsewhere could still be involved in his care, but argued that if such check-ups were conducted at private hospitals, thousands of other prisoners with health complications would also be entitled to similar treatment. “The SC is being requested [to make] suitable modifications to bring this order within the proper parameters of the Constitution and law,” Tarar said.
Why it matters
The order granted a demand Khan’s party had been pursuing for months and would keep him physically outside jail for the longest period since he was imprisoned in August 2023. It also intensified debate over his health and the conditions of his incarceration, with the PTI and the government maintaining sharply different positions over his treatment and access to medical care.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and quoted remarks are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 18 August 2026.
- ABC News Pakistan — "SC orders PTI founder's transfer to Shifa hospital"18 August 2026 · The three-member bench, the hospital order, the medical board and family-visit directions, the court's questions and the Adiala jail medical report.
- Dawn — "Law minister says govt will ask SC to make 'suitable modifications' to order on Imran's health"18 August 2026 · Senator Tariq Fazal Chaudhry's statement that the order would be implemented and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar's call for modifications.
