Islamabad, March 12, 2026: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the capital’s chief commissioner to constitute a medical board to assess the health condition of Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while disposing of a petition seeking his transfer to a private hospital.
The plea seeking the transfer of the former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for eye treatment was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro.
According to a report submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan by his lawyer and court-appointed amicus curiae Salman Safdar, the jailed PTI founder has been diagnosed with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition that occurs when the main vein draining blood from the retina becomes blocked.
In its three-page written order, the court directed the chief commissioner of Islamabad to immediately form a medical board for a fresh examination of Khan, despite earlier medical assessments.
The bench ordered that the board include Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, head of the ophthalmology department at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and Prof Dr Nadeem Qureshi, head of the vitreo-retina department at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi.
The court directed the medical board to submit its recommendations to the chief commissioner at the earliest. Based on these recommendations, the chief commissioner will decide — in accordance with the law and relevant prison rules — whether Khan should be shifted to a hospital outside prison or continue receiving treatment in jail.
However, the court rejected the request seeking his immediate transfer from jail to a private hospital.
The bench observed that under the Pakistan Prison Rules, the authority to remove a convicted prisoner from jail for special medical treatment rests with the government, adding that the court could not substitute the executive’s powers under Section 561-A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The order noted that Khan has already undergone several medical examinations on January 16, January 24, February 2 and February 20, 2026, and has shown improvement according to a report submitted by the superintendent of Central Prison Rawalpindi, also known as Adiala Jail.
The court also directed prison authorities to strictly follow rules requiring them to inform a prisoner’s relatives if a serious medical condition arises.
Additionally, the bench observed that the issue of meetings between Khan and his lawyers had already been decided by a larger bench of the IHC in a ruling issued on March 24, 2025, and directed authorities to implement the mechanism outlined in that order.
The judges also ordered that Khan’s family be informed about his health condition in accordance with jail rules and that Dr Nadeem Qureshi remain in contact with the family regarding his medical treatment.
Khan has been taken twice from Adiala Jail to PIMS for treatment of his right eye. His latest visit took place on February 24 under tight security for a follow-up examination, and he is expected to receive a third injection in the treatment course on March 23.
