PTI leaders welcome SC order for Imran Khan’s hospital transfer

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and lawmakers on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to order the transfer of party founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, describing it as an important step towards securing his medical and legal rights.

In a statement posted on X, PTI also welcomed the court’s direction allowing Imran to meet his family weekly and ordering the formation of a medical board to conduct his medical examination.

The party said Imran, his family and “millions of Pakistanis” had expressed serious concern over his health in recent weeks, adding that the SC order reinforced the demand for him to receive medical treatment under the supervision of specialist doctors.

PTI said a medical board comprising specialists in eye, cardiac and other relevant fields would conduct a comprehensive examination after Imran’s transfer to the hospital.

The party also said the inclusion of Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, and his sister Dr Uzma Khan, would be important to ensure that his medical history, current symptoms and treatment were reviewed comprehensively.

Regarding Imran’s weekly family meetings, PTI said the court’s order would help ensure that his legal and human rights were upheld during what it described as a difficult period.

The party also appealed to its workers, officials and supporters not to gather outside Shifa International Hospital following Imran’s transfer.

“We request our workers to act responsibly in maintaining a peaceful environment outside the hospital in the interest of Imran Khan’s health and treatment, and to cooperate in ensuring full implementation of the court’s orders,” PTI said.

The party said the SC order was an important step towards protecting Imran’s “basic right to health and human dignity” and urged the authorities to implement the decision as issued.

Party leaders also welcome decision

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi welcomed the SC decision, describing it as commendable and expressing hope that the order for Imran’s transfer to hospital and weekly family meetings would be implemented as soon as possible.

Afridi said official reports had highlighted the deterioration in Imran’s health during his incarceration.

“This decision should have been made in February, since we have continuously been demanding hospital transfer and check-up and treatment under the supervision of personal physicians,” he wrote on X.

He said PTI would not politicise Imran’s health in accordance with the court’s decision. “We also hope that the judiciary’s dignity and respect will be kept in mind from the other side as well,” Afridi said, adding that judges were responsible for ensuring implementation of the SC’s decision.

Former National Assembly speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser also welcomed the decision, describing it as “an important step forward for Imran Khan’s fundamental, constitutional and legal rights”.

“We hope the court’s decision will be fully implemented without delay, and that Imran Khan will be provided all legitimate rights, including the best medical facilities, personal physicians, and meetings with family and political friends,” Qaiser wrote on X.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also welcomed the order, saying reliable information about Imran’s health and his complete recovery remained the party’s “foremost objective”.

Raja said the SC had relied on an assurance he gave during Tuesday’s hearing that PTI supporters would not gather around Shifa International Hospital.

“We must all honour this promise,” he said, adding that party workers’ actions should not create obstacles to meetings between Imran and his sister Dr Uzma or personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan separately appealed to party workers not to gather outside the hospital to ensure that Imran’s transfer and treatment could proceed smoothly.

“I would urge the government to finally implement the order issued by the Supreme Court. It has been too long — four years is too much,” Gohar said while speaking to reporters outside Parliament.

Separately, PTI central spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram posted on X that the party expected the “full and immediate implementation” of the SC order. He also strongly urged party workers and supporters to not gather outside the hospital “so that Imran Khan’s treatment remains uninterrupted.’

PTI K-P President Junaid Akbar said, meanwhile, appreciated the SC’s decision, expressing hope that “the government and relevant institutions will not create any kind of hindrance in the implementation of this decision.”

Akbar added that PTI “will ensure that the peace and law and order situation in front of Shifa International Hospital does not deteriorate,” appealing for workers to “adopt responsibility, discipline and peaceful conduct, and to not take any step that provides any kind of justification to the government or relevant institutions.”

ormer federal minister Asad Umar also welcomed the decision but questioned why it had taken so long.

“If only the Supreme Court had made this decision eight months ago, when reports came in of dangerously reduced vision in Imran Khan’s eye,” Umar wrote on X. “Better late than never.”

Imran’s adviser on international affairs and international media, Zulfikar Bukhari, also welcomed the ruling.

“When the courts play their role, Pakistan is always the winner,” he said, adding: “Let’s hope there are no unnecessary hurdles.”

Meanwhile, Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai also welcomed the SC order while speaking to reporters.

He said even a person convicted of serious crimes had the right to receive medical treatment, meet their children and have access to legal counsel.

Separately, former information minister and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry took to X, saying, “Thanks to the Supreme Court, the government, PTI, and the establishment for making the good decision to lower the political temperature in Pakistan after a long time.”

The leader of the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) added that it “would be unfair not to praise the excellent role of Barrister Gohar and Mohsin Naqvi,” saying that the way the party chairman and interior minister “carried out this difficult process was not easy.”

“Even now, many people will be restless to stop this process from moving forward and to sabotage the improvement in politics,” Chaudhry said, expressing hope “that by defeating these people, the sustainable political process will continue.”

Further, the NDC leader presented a request to Barrister Gohar, asking him to “also include in his conversation agenda the PTI leadership, women and workers imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat Jail,” saying that providing relief to these workers was very important. “It is hoped that PTI will not waste this success, and that bridges will be built, not broken,” he added.

Former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed also posted a video on X welcoming the “historic” decision taken by Justice Shahid Waheed and the bench. According to Rasheed, the ruling would bring political betterment among the public and would reduce unrest.

The former minister added that the decision made it known the “the courts are still alive,” expressing hope that those who are unjustly imprisoned would be met with similar verdicts, are freed and provided facilities.

The reactions came as the SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family.

The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier’s blood pressure.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran’s access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record.

The court ordered that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist. His sister, Dr Uzma, will be associated with the newly established medical board. The SC directed that Imran’s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital.

The court also instructed Imran’s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential.