By Ariba Shahid and Mubasher Bukhari
Aug 21 (Reuters) – Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was transferred to a hospital in Islamabad early on Friday for medical examination, his party said, fulfilling a long-standing demand by supporters who say his health has deteriorated during more than three years in prison.
The move followed a Supreme Court order this week and is seen as a potential first step toward easing tensions between Khan’s party and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which have been at odds since his ouster from office in 2022.
“Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad following Supreme Court order,” Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said in a text message to journalists.
His lawyers say his health has deteriorated in prison and that he has lost significant vision in his right eye. The government has said medical reports disclosed no condition requiring immediate treatment.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to transfer Khan, 73, to Shifa International Hospital in the capital city within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the ruling a “new ray of hope” but said the party would proceed with a nationwide march on September 27 to demand access to Khan, speedy hearings in his cases and his release.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. He says the cases against him are politically motivated, an accusation the government denies.
(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
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