Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan has approached the Supreme Court, urging it to order his immediate transfer to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital amid fears his vision loss could turn life-threatening.
The fresh petition comes just days after his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, challenged an earlier Islamabad High Court ruling that had denied similar relief, highlighting a family’s growing alarm over what they describe as deliberate medical neglect in Adiala Jail.
A Petition That Cuts Through Layers of Legal Delays
Filed through senior counsel Uzair Karamat Bhandari, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder Khan’s application seeks leave to appeal against the Islamabad High Court’s March 12, 2026 order rejecting his transfer to a private facility.
He wants the apex court to suspend that ruling and direct his immediate shift to Shifa International Hospital for comprehensive examination and treatment.
Imran Khan’s Family and Allies Dispute Official Medical Reports on His Prison Health
The petition demands access to a team of his chosen physicians — Dr. Khurram Mirza, Dr. Asim Yusuf, Dr. Faisal Sultan, and Dr. Samina Niazi — and uninterrupted meetings with family members and legal counsel during incarceration and any hospital stay. It further requests full disclosure of his medical records from the past four months, including eye exams, diagnostics, and blood reports.
Vision Crisis and the Blood Clot Shadow
At the heart of the plea lies Khan’s deteriorating right eye. A February 2026 report submitted to the Supreme Court by amicus curiae Barrister Salman Safdar revealed he retains only 15% vision in the affected eye after being diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion — a serious condition involving a blood clot. The petition notes that Khan had reported blurred vision to jail authorities months earlier, but received only eye drops for nearly three months, leading to “major and irreversible impairment.
Doctors have warned that the underlying clot could migrate to the heart or brain, posing potentially fatal risks that cannot be adequately monitored inside a prison environment. This builds on earlier concerns raised by PTI leaders and family members, who have repeatedly flagged solitary confinement, restricted access, and delayed care as exacerbating factors.
From IHC Rejection to SC Petition
The Islamabad High Court had previously turned down requests to move Khan to Shifa hospital, instead directing the formation of a medical board for assessment. That decision, now under challenge, came amid broader petitions concerning his eye condition and overall health in Adiala Jail, where he has been held since August 2023.
Khan’s latest move to the Supreme Court reflects mounting frustration with lower court outcomes and what his legal team calls systemic barriers to proper care. It also coincides with separate challenges filed on behalf of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi regarding time limits imposed on arguments in their appeals against the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust conviction.
“Our legal and constitutional struggle against the imprisonment of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi continues. The Islamabad High Court ordered meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, yet those orders have still not been implemented. Appeals were made before both the Islamabad High Court… pic.twitter.com/YNUELYdBOI
— PTI Canada Official (@PTIOfficialCA) May 18, 2026
A Political and Humanitarian Flashpoint
For PTI supporters, this is not merely a medical matter but a symbol of political persecution. The party has long alleged that authorities are using health concerns as leverage while denying timely specialist intervention.
Government officials have previously maintained that Khan receives adequate care and that any hospitalization would follow court or medical board recommendations.
Meanwhile, the publication of a purported cipher — a secret message sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to Islamabad — alleging the U.S. threat to oust Khan through a parliamentary move — has once again spotlighted the political fortunes of Khan.
Sisters Denied Weekly Meetings with Imran Khan, Jailed for More Than 1,000 Days
Khan had alleged after his ouster in 2022 that his removal from office was partly done a the behest of Washington.
The United States has previously dismissed the suggestions, saying it does not interfere in Pakistan’s internal matters and has had no favorites in the political process.
Khan also accused Pakistan’s military leadership of the time and his political foes — who are now in power — of orchestrating his ouster from the office of prime minister through intrigue.
Pakistan’s military denies allegation of interfering in the national political process.
The case that transcends one man’s eyesight
Khan’s party and supporters argue that the case tests the judiciary’s role in safeguarding fundamental rights — including access to healthcare — for high-profile detainees in a deeply polarized nation.
The spokespersons of General Asim Munir’s military government have consistently lied about the conditions in the which Imran Khan is being held in at Adiala Jail. Besides the most recent report by the Supreme Court–appointed amicus, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture also noted… pic.twitter.com/sYORr3PwOV
— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 4, 2026
With Khan marking over 1,000 days in custody amid allegations of ongoing solitary confinement, the apex court’s intervention could set a precedent far beyond Shifa Hospital’s corridors. The ruling may be critical in determining if timely treatment arrives before the window for recovery narrows further.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
