ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently in prison, to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, while directing authorities to ensure access to his doctors and family.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, resumed proceedings after a break on petitions concerning the PTI founder’s medical condition, treatment and meetings with family members.
The bench directed that Dr. Faisal Sultan and Dr. Uzma Khan accompany the PTI founder during his treatment and allowed him to meet family members once a week.
The decision followed a discussion over the proposed hospital transfer. Justice Waheed questioned why a private facility was being sought when the PTI founder had previously been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.
PTI lawyer Uzair Bhandari argued that a private hospital would be preferable. When asked who would cover the expenses, Bhandari said Dr. Uzma Khan would bear the cost.
The court also sought the PTI founder’s complete medical history after Justice Waheed questioned why authorities had submitted only a summary.
“What is the restriction on providing the complete medical record? We want the complete record, not a summary,” he said.
The bench reviewed a report submitted by Adiala jail authorities and discussed concerns regarding the PTI founder’s pulse and heart condition.
Justice Afghan also asked about a recommendation for angiography and whether the procedure could be performed inside the prison.
The Islamabad advocate general said the procedure could be carried out at a hospital outside the jail.
Bhandari said doctors should determine the cause of a reported blood clot and requested access for Dr. Uzma Khan and the PTI founder’s personal physician, Dr. Aasim Yusuf. He later suggested that Dr. Faisal Sultan also be allowed to examine him.
The bench questioned how the PTI founder’s medical reports would be protected from public disclosure and political use.
Justice Waheed asked who would guarantee that the reports would not be released publicly.
Senior PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja assured the court that the party would not use the medical information for political purposes, saying the reports were a matter between the doctors, the PTI founder and his family.
“Our politics has different principles. We will not politicize health,” Raja said.
Justice Afghan also urged the PTI to keep the medical issue separate from political activity.
“The PTI people need to decide one thing: there will be no politics over the founder’s medical condition,” he said.
The judges also raised concerns about possible gatherings outside the hospital.
Justice Afghan asked what guarantee there would be that crowds would not gather outside the facility and disturb other patients.
Bhandari referred to security arrangements near Adiala Jail, while the bench stressed that other patients at the hospital should not be disrupted.
The court also examined restrictions on meetings between the PTI founder and his sisters.
“What is the problem in arranging meetings with his sisters?” Justice Waheed asked, emphasizing that family access was a fundamental right.
The Islamabad advocate general told the court that the PTI founder had met his sisters 48 times during the past three years.
The bench ordered authorities to submit details of those meetings. It also sought records of his communications with his sons, including call detail records.
Justice Afghan directed authorities to provide a complete breakdown of the PTI founder’s legal cases, including those in which he was an undertrial prisoner, convicted or had his sentence suspended.
The proceedings also addressed statements made to the media after meetings with the PTI founder.
The Islamabad advocate general said a previous undertaking restricting such statements had allegedly been violated and that the matter was pending before the Islamabad High Court.
Raja argued that responsibility should not automatically be attributed to others if an undertaking had been breached by another person’s media appearance.
Justice Waheed warned that contempt proceedings could be considered if court directions were violated.
The court said the PTI and the founder’s family would have to provide an undertaking that no media statements would be made after meetings.
A report submitted by the Adiala jail superintendent detailed the medical care provided to the PTI founder during his imprisonment.
The report said he had received treatment from ophthalmologists in Islamabad and Rawalpindi for central retinal vein occlusion, an eye condition diagnosed previously. His vision in the affected eye had “almost regained normal” levels, according to the report.
The document summarized 39 medical examinations conducted by specialists between Nov. 4, 2023, and Aug. 10, 2026. It said government doctors had examined him several times, with records of their consultations maintained by jail authorities.
Jail medical staff also monitored his food and drinks three times a day and conducted regular medical examinations, according to the report.
The document said the PTI founder and his wife had met every Tuesday under jail rules, with 84 meetings recorded so far. It also listed meetings with his lawyer Salman Safdar in February and April.
The Supreme Court ordered authorities to submit the complete medical record, details of meetings held over the past three years and records of communications with the PTI founder’s sons.
Adiala jail officials were also summoned to appear before the court.
The bench directed that the PTI founder remain at Shifa International Hospital until the next hearing and allowed weekly family visits during his treatment.
The Supreme Court adjourned further proceedings until Sept. 16.
