ISLAMABAD: In a clarification regarding the overnight medical examination of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed on Friday that the former prime minister was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), rather than Shifa International Hospital as explicitly mandated by the Supreme Court.
In his latest statement posted on social media platform X, Minister Tarar claimed that doctors from Al-Shifa Hospital were present at PIMS to examine the 73-year-old leader alongside state doctors.
کچھ مزید تفصیلات:
طبی معائنہ پمز ہسپتال میں کرایا گیا جس میں الشفا ہسپتال کے ڈاکٹرز بھی موجود تھے۔
پی ٹی ائی کے کارکنوں کی طرف سے جو سیکیورٹی کی صورتحال الشفا ہسپتال کے راستے میں اور باہر پیدا کی گئی اس کے پیش نظر ان کو پمز ہسپتال لے جایا گیا اور طبی معائنے کے مطابق وہ صحت… https://t.co/soNoD1bmu1
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) August 21, 2026
The minister attributed the decision to divert the transfer to PIMS to security concerns, blaming PTI workers for creating a potential “security situation” that made a private hospital admission untenable.
“The prisoner was evaluated thoroughly by a medical board at PIMS, where doctors from Al-Shifa Hospital were also present,” Tarar stated, maintaining that the procedure fulfilled the spirit of judicial instructions and that the former premier was returned to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail at approximately 0500 hours on Friday morning after being declared medically fit.
Venue Divergence and Key Omissions Fuel Compliance Debate
Despite the government’s justification regarding security risks, legal observers and PTI representatives pointed out that the minister’s statement continues to leave major directives of the Supreme Court’s August 18 interim order unaddressed:
سپریم کورٹ نے اپنے فیصلے میں واضح طور پر کہا تھا کہ عمران خان کو شفا انٹرنیشنل اسپتال “شفٹ” کیا جائے، مزید یہ بھی کہ اگلی سماعت یعنی 16 ستمبر تک عمران خان کے اہلخانہ، پارٹی عہدیدار، رکن یا وکیل ان کے طبی معالجے یا طبی رپورٹس کی تفصیل میڈیا یا کسی بھی طرح کی پبلک سے شیئر نہیں کریں… pic.twitter.com/10CXdjklqk
— Maryam Nawaz Khan (@maryamnawazkhan) August 21, 2026
– Bypassing Private Hospital Mandate: The three-member apex court bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, issued a binding order for Khan’s transfer specifically to Shifa International Hospital. Bypassing the facility in favor of a government hospital—even with private doctors present—diverges from the explicit venue named in the court order.
– Absence of Sub-Jail Setup: The Supreme Court directed that Khan remain under hospital care until the next formal hearing on September 17, instructing the capital administration to declare the hospital ward a sub-jail. Instead, the entire operation was concluded within a four-hour overnight window, returning the PTI founder to prison before dawn.
– Silence on Personal Physicians: While Tarar acknowledged the presence of Khan’s sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, during the evaluation, the statement remained silent on the participation of his personal physicians, Dr. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Asim Yousaf, both of whom were expressly authorized by the apex court to be involved in all medical evaluations.
– Incomplete Medical Files and Record Sharing: The court mandated that all prior medical records and historical visitation logs be transferred to the specialized board for review. Executing a brief examination at PIMS without an extended admission leaves the comprehensive health evaluation envisioned by the court incomplete.
The overnight shift and subsequent return to Adiala Jail follow months of tension over Khan’s health, including fluctuating blood pressure, anxiety, and a right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) condition.
While the government maintains that the medical check-up at PIMS satisfied safety and health requirements, opposition legal teams are preparing to highlight these procedural omissions and venue changes before the Supreme Court.
