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March 13, 2026
IHC Orders Formation of Medical Board to Evaluate Imran’s Health
Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the formation of a medical board in its verdict on a plea seeking the transfer of PTI founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment.
A division bench, comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, presided over the hearing.
IHC directed Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa to constitute a medical board and ordered that Dr Muhammad Arif and Dr Nadeem Qureshi be included.
Dr Qureshi, who is a retina specialist from Rawalpindi’s Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, is also part of the medical board constituted on the orders of the Supreme Court. Dr Arif is the head of the ophthalmology department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
In its order, the court also directed the authorities to ensure Imran’s meetings with his lawyers and family. Dr Qureshi was instructed to remain in contact with Imran’s family over his medical treatment.
The proceedings on Thursday saw heated exchanges between the defense, the state’s legal team, and family members of the incarcerated former prime minister.
Representing the PTI founder, senior counsel Sardar Latif Khosa informed the court that his client had been complaining of a retinal issue since October.
Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, briefly addressed the court as well. She expressed deep distrust in the jail’s medical facilities.
“We have doctors in our family; why are his personal physicians being denied access to his medical reports?” Aleema asked.
The PTI, however, decided to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court (SC), the party said in a statement.
It termed the verdict “extremely regrettable”, particularly in connection with Imran’s health and his fundamental human and legal rights.
The party said the rejection of all three pleas made on Imran’s behalf — permission to transfer him to Shifa International Hospital, allowing regular meetings with his family and including his personal physicians in the medical board — was “deeply alarming”.
Furthermore, the party decried that Imran had not been provided direct access to his doctors.
“All of these actions amount to grave injustice toward a person who is not only a former prime minister of the country but also the elected leader of millions of people,” the party stated.
Demanding that Imran’s family and personal physicians should be provided access to him, the PTI announced its decision to challenge the IHC verdict in the SC. - Dawn
Courtesy Dawn
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