Pakistan Rejects Imran Khan Abuse Claims, Citing 900 Visits and 30 Medical Exams

Q: Why did authorities secretly move Imran Khan overnight, defying a Supreme Court order for his medical examination?

Authorities say Imran Khan was moved overnight and taken to PIMS instead of Shifa International Hospital because of security concerns, not for medical reasons. The government said PTI supporters had gathered near Shifa and along the route, creating what Information Minister Attaullah Tarar called a risky situation, so officials used the government-run hospital in a late-night operation and treated the visible security deployment around Shifa as a decoy. That explains the timing and secrecy from the state’s perspective: moving Khan after midnight reduced the risk of crowds, protests or disruption around a high-profile prisoner whose transfers have previously triggered unrest. Officials also said doctors from Shifa were involved in the examination at PIMS and that Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, was present throughout. What remains disputed is whether this amounted to compliance with the Supreme Court’s order. The court had directed that Khan be examined at Shifa by a medical board that included one of his personal physicians, and PTI, his family and his doctor Faisal Sultan say authorities defied that order by taking him elsewhere and returning him to prison before the planned examination at Shifa could occur. So the factual answer is that authorities justified the secret overnight move on security grounds linked to PTI supporters near Shifa, but Khan’s side argues that explanation does not justify bypassing the court’s explicit instructions.

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 21

Pakistan’s government said allegations that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan faced cruelty, solitary confinement and medical neglect were baseless and unsupported by prison and medical records.
The denial came hours after Khan’s family and PTI accused authorities of defying a Supreme Court order by taking him to a government hospital, not court-designated Shifa International, for an overnight examination.
Attaullah Tarar said doctors found Khan medically fit and returned him to Adiala prison, while the government said security risks from PTI supporters gathering near Shifa drove the hospital switch.
To rebut the claims, the ministry said Khan has had more than 900 approved visits since 2023, weekly meetings with his wife, phone and WhatsApp contact with relatives, and about 30 specialist examinations.
The dispute extends months of concern over Khan’s health, including family claims in January that he had lost 85% of vision in his right eye, which authorities have contested.