Imran Khan taken back to jail after hospital checks

ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was transferred back to jail on Friday, authorities said, hours after the popular politician was taken to hospital for court-ordered medical checks.

The Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that Khan, 73, be taken to the private Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad for treatment, after his lawyers filed a petition over health concerns.

The ex-cricket captain and his wife Bushra Bibi, who is also his spiritual guide, were both sentenced late last year to 17 years in prison in a case Khan argues was politically motivated.

Information Minister AttaullahTarar wrote on X that Khan was taken to a public hospital instead of Shifa, blaming the "security situation" caused by supporters at the private clinic.

"A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit," Tarar said.

"After the completion of this entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala Jail."

Provincial MP Sohail Afridi, a senior leader in Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, criticised the handling of the hospital visit. The authorities "don't even take the court seriously", Afridi told a news conference in Islamabad.

"This is against the whole judicial system," he added, saying the party would "file a contempt of court case".

Hundreds of police, some wielding sticks, were deployed near Shifa late on Thursday, with roads leading to the hospital cordoned off ahead of the expected transfer.�"AFP