ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has ordered the transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital on Tuesday for a comprehensive medical examination and treatment.
The three-member bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, directed that Imran be shifted to the hospital under tight security and remain there until the next hearing.
The court also ordered the formation of a special medical board to oversee his treatment. During his medical examination, Dr Faisal Sultan and Imran’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, will be allowed to accompany him. The court directed that they would bear the hospital expenses themselves.
The Supreme Court further ordered that law and order must be maintained outside the hospital and that no political activity would be allowed there.
Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan stressed that ordinary patients seeking treatment at the hospital must not be affected by the situation surrounding Imran’s admission.
PTI leaders assured the court that no political activity would be carried out outside the hospital and that party workers would not be allowed to gather there. Imran’s counsel Salman Akram Raja and PTI leader Shahid Khattak gave the assurance.
The court ordered immediate implementation of its directions and adjourned further proceedings until 16 September.
The federal government objected to the hospital transfer, arguing that it had not even been issued a notice in the case. The court, however, made the government’s objection part of its order.
During the hearing, Imran’s counsel Uzair Bhandari told the court that his client was being kept in solitary confinement and was not being allowed to meet his sisters.
He said a team of government doctors had also recommended that such meetings should take place. The lawyer requested that Imran undergo a comprehensive medical examination and that his sister Dr Uzma Khan and Dr Asim be allowed to meet him.
Justice Shahid Waheed asked what guarantee there was that the sisters would not speak to the media after meeting Imran. Bhandari assured the court, on Dr Uzma’s instructions, that there would be no media talk following the meeting.
The court also sought Imran’s complete medical record and details of his telephone conversations with his children.
Justice Shahid Waheed questioned why there was any issue with providing the medical record, observing that the material submitted to the court was merely a summary. He directed that the complete record be submitted before the next hearing, adding that once it was placed before the court, it would no longer remain confidential.
On meetings with Imran’s children and sisters, the Advocate General for Islamabad said visits would not be permitted if anyone violated the law. He also informed the court that Imran’s sisters had been allowed more than 40 meetings over the past three years.
Justice Shahid Waheed expressed displeasure over the argument, asking whether the state would also violate the law if someone else did so. He observed that allowing Imran to meet his sisters was not a favour but their fundamental right, adding that the state itself must never violate the law.
The judge also questioned the failure to implement directions issued by the Islamabad High Court.
Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan said the matter should be settled that PTI would not politicise Imran’s health. The court subsequently sought the complete record of his meetings with his sisters and issued the directives regarding his hospital transfer and medical treatment.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to transfer Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to hospital, the party’s official X account shared a video in which PTI leader and Member of the National Assembly Junaid Akbar Khan welcomed the ruling.
سپریم کورٹ کے فیصلے کو ہم سراہتے ہیں اور امید کرتے ہیں کہ حکومت اور متعلقہ ادارے اس فیصلے پر عملدرآمد میں کسی قسم کی رکاوٹ پیدا نہیں کریں گے۔
پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف اس امر کو یقینی بنائے گی کہ الشفاء ہسپتال کے سامنے امن و امان اور لا اینڈ آرڈر کی صورتحال خراب نہ ہو۔ کارکنان سے بھی… pic.twitter.com/vi9knd6Sbp
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 18, 2026
“We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision and hope that the government and relevant institutions will not create any obstacles to its implementation,” he said.
Junaid Akbar Khan said PTI would ensure that law and order was maintained outside Shifa International Hospital.
He also appealed to party workers to demonstrate responsibility, discipline and peaceful conduct, and to refrain from any action that could provide the government or relevant institutions with a pretext for taking action in the future.
