Will Imran Khan walk free? Why his hospital transfer is fuelling buzz

Imran Khan's transfer to a private hospital under the Supreme Court's watch has triggered speculation whether this is an early sign that the former prime minister will move out of prison

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered former prime minister Imran Khan to be moved from Adiala jail to a private hospital in Islamabad. The order has triggered a larger political question in the country: Is this an early sign that the former prime minister will move out of prison?

 

The August 18 order was based on Khan’s medical examination, treatment and access to family and doctors. While it does not suspend his convictions, grant bail or order his release, the decision is politically significant because it moves the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder out of the tightly controlled prison setting and places his treatment under closer judicial supervision.

 

 

Imran Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 due to convictions in corruption-related cases, most notably in the Al-Qadir Trust and Toshakhana cases.

 

 

What did the Supreme Court order say?

 

The Supreme Court directed the government to shift Khan to Shifa International Hospital within two days for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. His personal physician and sister were allowed to remain associated with his care, while authorities were told to facilitate weekly family meetings and twice-weekly telephone calls with his sons.

 

The court also sought Khan’s complete medical record since his arrest and details of cases in which he is accused, under trial or convicted. Its directions remain in force until the next hearing on September 16.

 

The court also restricted political use of Khan’s health. His family, PTI members and lawyers were barred from disclosing his health condition or medical reports publicly until the next hearing, while supporters were told not to gather at the hospital.

 

In a post on X, Taimur Malik, Imran Khan's lawyer, urged PTI supporters to respect the court’s conditions and avoid gathering outside the hospital, warning that nothing should provide a pretext to delay implementation.

 

How did the Pakistan government respond?

 

Islamabad's response shows how seriously it views the development. A day after the order, the federal government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking its recall. The plea called the interim order “discriminatory” and argued that treatment at a private hospital of a convict’s choice could create a precedent for other prisoners.

 

According to a report in Dawn, the government’s review petition relies partly on Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978. It argues that transfers to hospitals are governed by prison procedures and that a prisoner moved out for treatment should be returned once treatment allows.

 

The petition also says Khan has been medically examined regularly and that the health report before the court did not establish a condition requiring immediate treatment at a private hospital. It argues that special treatment could lead similarly placed prisoners to seek the same relief.

 

Addressing the speculation around Khan, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said, “He will return to the place he came from."

 

What does Imran Khan’s medical record show?

 

The Supreme Court's order rested on Imran Khan's medical reports. A Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) doctor who examined him on August 1 recorded "uncontrolled and fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headache and restlessness", according to an annexure to a jail report submitted to the Supreme Court, reported Dawn.

 

The doctor recommended stress-reduction measures, greater access to family and reading material, a CT coronary angiography and an increase in blood-pressure medication. A medical board that examined Khan on August 10 also recommended a daily walk, relaxation in his prison routine and more interaction with his immediate family.

 

In January this year, Khan's family alleged that he had lost 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye. While the government initially denied the claim, it later admitted that Khan regained about 70% of the vision in the eye and that his condition was improving.

 

Could hospital transfer lead to Imran Khan's release?

 

The hospital order does not, by itself, create a legal route out of prison. Khan remains a convict, and the government’s review plea stresses that he must be treated like other convicts under the law.

 

But the episode has revived comparisons with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was shifted from prison for medical treatment before being allowed to travel to London. Writing in online portal Jang, journalist Hamid Mir argued that political circumstances in Pakistan can change rapidly and pointed to Nawaz Sharif’s case, who was allowed to leave prison for treatment and travel abroad, and eventually returned to Pakistan after Imran Khan's government fell.

 

"If Nawaz Sharif can come out of jail, then anyone else can come out too. The real problem of Pakistan is that our leaders go to jail but do not learn from their mistakes and make deals again and again. It remains to be seen whether there will be a 'deal' this time or not," Mir wrote in the piece written in Urdu.

 

Mir also cautioned PTI supporters against assuming that one favourable court order means Khan’s release is imminent. He recalled how the PML-N, during its period in opposition, built a wider political coalition through the Pakistan Democratic Movement, held rallies and worked with other opposition forces before the political circumstances surrounding Nawaz Sharif changed.

 

Journalist Meher Bokhari, writing on X, highlighted another reason for the speculation. The court order, she said, does not tie Khan’s discharge from hospital to a specific date, while the September 16 hearing is meant to review the case rather than necessarily determine when his hospital stay ends.

 

So, Khan may soon walk out of Adiala jail, but only into a hospital under a Supreme Court order. Whether he can walk out of custody altogether will depend on separate legal relief in the cases and convictions that continue to keep him behind bars.