ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday rejected a plea seeking the transfer of jailed Imran Khan to a private hospital, but directed the Islamabad chief commissioner to constitute a medical board to assess the former prime minister's health condition.
The plea seeking transfer of ex-PM Khan to the Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, for his eye treatment was heard by the high court's division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro.
The jailed PTI founder has been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition, according to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by his lawyer and the court's amicus curiae, Salman Safdar.
The condition occurs when the main vein draining blood from the retina becomes blocked and is often associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
In its three-page written order, the court said that since the matter relates to the appellant's health, a medical board should be formed immediately to conduct a fresh examination, notwithstanding earlier medical assessments.
The bench also directed that the medical board shall include Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, head of the ophthalmology department at PIMS Islamabad, and Prof Dr Nadeem Qureshi, head of the vitreo-retina department at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi.
The court directed the medical board to submit its recommendations to Islamabad's chief commissioner at the earliest.
Based on those recommendations, the chief commissioner will decide, in accordance with the law and relevant prison rules, whether Khan should be shifted to a hospital outside the prison premises or continue receiving treatment in jail.
The division bench observed that prison authorities are obligated to inform the relatives of a convicted prisoner if the inmate develops a serious medical condition and directed them to strictly follow the rules.
However, the request seeking his transfer from jail to a private hospital was rejected by the court.
In its order, the IHC bench noted that under the Pakistan Prison Rules, the authority to remove a convicted prisoner from prison for special treatment rests with the government, adding that the court's jurisdiction under Section 561-A of the Criminal Procedure Code cannot be invoked to substitute the executive's powers.
It read that Khan has already undergone several medical examinations on January 16, January 24, February 2 and February 20, 2026, and has shown improvement, per a report submitted by the superintendent of Central Prison Rawalpindi.
The court noted that the newly constituted medical board would be in addition to the treatment measures already undertaken.
The court also observed that the matter regarding meetings between ex-PM Khan and his lawyers had already been decided by a larger bench of the IHC in an order issued on March 24, 2025, and directed that the mechanism outlined in that ruling be followed.
The jurists ordered the relevant authorities that the family of the PTI founder must be informed in line with jail rules, and Dr Qureshi should remain in contact with the family regarding his medical condition.
The court further noted that, as per the directions of the larger bench, the PTI founder should be allowed to meet his lawyers and family members.
The former prime minister had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad twice from Rawalpindi's Adiala jail for treatment of his right eye.
His most recent visit took place on February 24 under tight security for a scheduled follow-up examination, marking his second trip to the hospital since late January. He is expected to receive the third injection in the treatment course on March 23.
