Govt defends 'last-minute' switch from Shifa

PTI founder Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for a medical examination in the early hours of Friday and returned to Adiala jail after doctors declared him "medically fit", Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said amid controversy over the government's handling of the Supreme Court's order for his hospital transfer. Tarar said the examination was conducted under tight security in the light of the SC's directive, with a team comprising an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician examining Imran. His sister Uzma Khan was also present during the examination. The minister later clarified that doctors from Al Shifa Hospital were also present at Pims, adding that Imran was taken to the government-run facility because of the security situation created by PTI workers outside and on the way to Shifa International Hospital. Tarar's initial statement did not specifically identify the hospital where Imran had been taken. The information minister subsequently clarified that Imran was taken to Pims, a government-run facility where the PTI founder has received treatment for an eye ailment in recent months. In a post on X, Tarar said, "In the light of the Supreme Court's order, the prisoner was taken to the hospital under appropriate security arrangements during the night between August 20 and 21". "A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit," he said, adding that Imran's sister Uzma Khan was also present during the examination. "After the completion of this entire process, he was shifted back to Adiala jail on the morning of August 21 at approximately 5am," he said. In a subsequent post, Tarar said, "The medical examination was conducted at Pims in which doctors from Al Shifa Hospital were also present". "In light of the security situation created by PTI workers on the way to and outside Al Shifa Hospital, he was taken to Pims and according to the medical examination, was found healthy," he said. Tarar said Imran had been provided medical treatment in the past and would continue to receive it in the future.