Imran Khan’s sister meets him after 9 months as Pakistan SC orders hospital transfer for jailed ex-PM
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday after a gap of around nine months, following a Supreme Court order allowing weekly meetings between the former prime minister and his family amid concerns over his health.The meeting lasted around 15 minutes, according to jail sources, cited by Express Tribune. Noreen briefed Imran on the Supreme Court’s order regarding his transfer to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital and enquired about his health. The two also discussed ongoing legal matters.Noreen confirmed after the meeting that she had met her brother but did not speak to the media, in line with an assurance given before the court. She later left Adiala Jail with her sisters Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan.Imran also met his wife, Bushra Bibi, with their meeting lasting around 30-35 minutes. Bushra earlier met her daughter, Mubashra Sheikh, and sister-in-law Mehrunnisa.Before entering the jail, Noreen told reporters that she would inform Imran that “the Supreme Court has granted you permission” to meet his family. She also said she would brief him about efforts made by PTI workers on his behalf.The meetings followed a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed directing the government to facilitate weekly meetings between Imran and his family. The court was hearing petitions concerning his access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical condition.The order came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail superintendent were submitted to the court. The reports recommended more frequent meetings with Imran’s immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety.The Supreme Court also ordered that Imran be moved to Shifa International Hospital for treatment and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, general physician, cardiologist and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan. Dr Uzma was also to be included in the board.The court ordered that his medical records remain confidential and barred political activity or media interactions outside the hospital. It also directed authorities to arrange telephone contact between Imran and his children.Justice Waheed stressed that access to family could not be treated as a favour, describing the meetings as a fundamental right rather than a concession. The court, however, required PTI representatives to refrain from political activity or media engagement after meeting Imran, a condition the party said it would follow.Aleema Khan welcomed the order, saying the family had been demanding hospital treatment for Imran for months. Speaking to reporters at the Dahgal checkpoint in Rawalpindi, she said she was happy about the meeting but remained uncertain about whether the development signalled a broader change in circumstances.“”Words cannot describe how happy I am about the meeting. I cannot even imagine where I would have got sweets from. I have appeared before the ATC Rawalpindi from the Supreme Court,” Aleema said.She also rejected suggestions that the family was politicising Imran’s health, saying they were speaking as his sisters.PTI spokesperson Niazullah Khan Niazi said Imran had a right to meet his family twice a week but that authorities had continued to restrict access despite an Islamabad High Court order. He said the party would comply with the Supreme Court’s direction against political statements after meetings.Concerns over Imran’s health have intensified in recent months. A medical report submitted to the Supreme Court said he had experienced fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, restlessness and significant anxiety.A PIMS cardiologist who examined him on August 1 recorded his blood pressure at 140/100mmHg and recommended measures to reduce mental stress, including more frequent meetings with his wife and access to reading material. A four-member medical board that examined him on August 10 recorded his blood pressure at 140/80mmHg and recommended walking, relaxation and more frequent interaction with his immediate family and spouse.The report said Imran had undergone at least 39 medical check-ups since his incarceration, with jail medical officers examining him three times a day. It also said his ECG was normal and his vision had improved to almost normal following treatment for an eye condition.PTI has questioned the authenticity and completeness of the medical documentation and demanded examinations by Imran’s personal physicians, Dr Asim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan, as well as an independent medical board. The government has rejected claims that he is being denied proper medical care, saying he is receiving treatment from specialists in accordance with the law and court orders.A report submitted to the Supreme Court in February had said Imran’s right eye was functioning at only 15% capacity. The court subsequently ordered that he be granted access to his personal physicians in Adiala Jail.Imran and Bushra Bibi remain incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. They were sentenced in December 2025 to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case over allegations that they unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince.Imran has been in custody since August 2023, initially following his conviction in the £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending trials under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act in connection with the May 9, 2023, protests.Imran, who served as prime minister from 2018 until his ouster through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, and his supporters have consistently maintained that the cases against him are politically motivated and aimed at preventing his political comeback.
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