Imran Khan hospital shift row sparks court order violation charge

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has accused the federal government of flouting the Supreme Court's order on Imran Khan's medical treatment. The row has sharpened scrutiny of Khan's health in custody and compliance with court directions.

In Short

• Supreme Court had directed treatment at Shifa Hospital with family oversight
• Khan instead underwent procedures and tests at PIMS before returning jail
• Afridi said Khan's sister and personal doctors were kept outside process

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday accused Pakistan's federal government of violating a Supreme Court order on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's medical treatment. He claimed Khan was taken to a hospital in a "fraudulent manner under the cover of darkness" instead of being moved to the private hospital named by the court.

The Supreme Court on August 18 had ordered the government to shift the 73-year-old to the private-run Shifa Hospital after months of concern raised by Khan's family and supporters over his health, especially an eye condition diagnosed earlier this year. But on the night of August 20-21, Khan was admitted to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical procedure and other diagnostic examinations, and was later taken back to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

Addressing a meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet, Afridi said the Supreme Court had ordered that Khan be treated at Shifa International Hospital in the presence of his sister and personal doctors. "The federal government committed fraud with the Supreme Court's order and brought Imran Khan to the hospital in a fraudulent manner under the cover of darkness," he alleged.

Afridi said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was "extremely concerned" about Khan's health and demanded strict implementation of all court orders concerning him. He also alleged that Khan's health had deteriorated while he remained under the supervision of the federal government.

Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, in a corruption case and has remained in custody since then. Meanwhile, his sister, Umza Khan, approached the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking an early hearing on a contempt petition against the federal government for failing to transfer him to a private hospital. She filed the petition after the court fixed the hearing date on her earlier plea for September 16. The latest developments centre on whether the federal government complied with the Supreme Court's order on Khan's treatment.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends