Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-08-18 · by Abid Hussain
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the transfer of former prime minister Imran Khan from Rawalpdi's Adiala prison to Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital within two days due to his deteriorating health. The court accepted the PTI party's long-standing demand and directed a medical board to oversee Khan's treatment, including his sister and personal physician. The transfer will be the longest period Khan has been physically outside of jail premises since his imprisonment in August 2023. A court hearing on September 16 has been scheduled for Khan's case, during which he is expected to remain hospitalized.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here is a summary of the news story:
Imran Khan, Pakistan's former prime minister and founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been transferred to a private hospital for medical examination after concerns were raised about his health. The order was made by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which accepted a demand from Khan's party that had been made for months.
Uzair Bhandari, one of Khan's lawyers, said that the court also ordered a medical board to be formed to oversee Khan's treatment, including his sister Dr Uzma Khan and personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan. The next hearing is set for September 16, and Khan will remain in hospital until then.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption-related charges that he claims are politically motivated. His party, PTI, says it is trying to keep him out of politics, while the government denies this.
The transfer to a private hospital was seen as a significant relief for Khan, who has not been allowed to see his family in months. 21 former cricket captains from around the world have written an open letter to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to allow an independent assessment of Khan's health and provide him with proper medical care.
Khan's party has condemned what it calls the "continued failure" of authorities at a state-run hospital, where Khan was taken for a heart scan but did not undergo the test.
Written for “Imran Khan Medical Treatment Dispute” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
No quote from the article could be verified for this score. The
model gave a number without evidence that survives checking, so
there is nothing here for you to read against the original.
Leaning score +0.15 for article 1095 (low confidence, 0 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-25
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of Imran Khan, former prime minister and founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, from Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital within two days, accepting a demand his party had been making for months.
asserted
party → order → months
Uzair Bhandari, one of Khan’s lawyers, told Al Jazeera the three-member bench also ordered a medical board be formed to oversee Khan’s treatment, including the ex-prime minister’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan.
asserted
board → tell → sister
“The court also directed that Khan’s family be allowed to meet him at the hospital and that he be permitted to speak with his sons, who live abroad,” Bhandari said.
asserted
Bhandari → direct → sons
The next hearing has been fixed for September 16, and Khan should remain hospitalised until at least then as per the order, according to the lawyer.
uncertain
Khan → fix → lawyer
This will be the longest period that Khan will be physically outside jail premises since he was imprisoned in August 2023, convicted in several corruption-related cases that he and his party insist are politically motivated.
asserted
he → imprison → cases
The order followed a report Adiala jail’s superintendent submitted to the court on Monday, detailing a cardiac board’s August 10 review of Khan, 73, which recorded fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety linked to restricted contact with his family.
asserted
which → follow → family
During Tuesday’s hearing, the court pressed Pakistan’s advocate general over gaps in the report, saying Khan’s “pulse and heart condition were not normal” and that his vital organs “had started being affected”.
asserted
organs → press → report
Courts had twice declined similar transfer requests since February, including an Islamabad High Court ruling that ordered a medical board’s assessment instead.
asserted
that → decline → assessment
Zulfi Bukhari, a senior PTI leader, told Al Jazeera the ruling reinforced the party’s longstanding position that Khan needed independent, specialised treatment outside Adiala jail.
asserted
Khan → tell → jail
“Medical care provided within the prison system is no substitute for a thorough evaluation by independent specialists of his choosing,” he said, adding that PTI had consistently called for Khan’s transfer to Shifa International and access to his own doctors.
asserted
PTI → provide → doctors
Government officials have insisted any transfer required judicial authorisation rather than executive discretion.
asserted
transfer → insist → authorisation
Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister, told the Senate on Monday that Khan was receiving “the best available medical treatment” and that his condition did not support PTI’s concerns.
asserted
condition → tell → concerns
The order lands amid a wider standoff over access to Khan, which PTI has increasingly framed as the precondition for reviving talks with the government.
asserted
PTI → land → government
The government, for its part, has renewed efforts to engage in dialogue but to no avail as yet, while PTI leadership has announced a countrywide protest on September 27.
asserted
leadership → renew → September
