Pakistan SC orders Imran Khan's transfer from jail to hospital, curbs media amid 'death' rumours | Gravitas

As the Asim Munir-led hybrid regime faces a growing legitimacy crisis, is the political scenario in Pakistan set to change yet again? In a big boost for the opposition, ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan secured a major relief From the country's supreme court after being in Lahore's Adiala jail for over three years. A three-member supreme court bench ordered the cricketer-turned-politician to be moved to Islamabad's Shifa International hospital for treatment until at least September 16. This came in wake of growing concerns over the health of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf founder.

Khan will have to be transferred to the private hospital within 48 hours. The Pak SC also ordered the creation of a medical board for him comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, a cardiologist and Khan's personal physician Dr. Faisal Sultan. The court also made it clear that Sultan as well as the PTI founder's sister Dr. Uzma Khan will be associated with his treatment. This is not all. According to the court's order, the jail authorities have to facilitate weekly meetings with his family and regular calls with his UK-based sons.

The cost of the treatment shall be borne by the ex-PM's family. However, is there a cover-up being attempted? Even as rumours about Khan's death have been doing the rounds, Pakistan's top court has chosen to gag the media. The Pakistan SC directed Khan's family and lawyers not to share his medical reports with the media. It further directed that no media talk, political activity or press conference will be held outside the hospital by anyone meeting Khan. According to the court, this order cannot be recalled if these directives are violated.

This raises a key question. Is the Pakistani establishment trying to hide the reality of Khan's medical condition? Let's jog your memory back a little. In February this year, Imran Khan's lawyer informed the SC that he lost 85% of vision in his right eye. The PTI founder has been diagnosed with right central retinal vein occlusion, a medical condition which can cause permanent damage to eyesight if left untreated. His condition aggravated as he was merely given eye drops for three months, which resulted in no improvement. In August, Khan complained of fluctuating blood pressure, mental stress and headache, after which doctors recommended an angiography. Now, this comes in the backdrop of the party announcing a long march to Islamabad on September 27 which was supposed to be joined by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi and nearly two million people.

Last week, PTI workers hit the streets to demand the ex-PM's release as well as in protest against the rising corruption. Earlier on August 5, hundreds of PTI supporters gathered in Karachi to mark the third anniversary of his detention. A heavy contingent of riot police charged towards the demonstrators, fired tear gas, beat them and dragged them towards police vehicles. Now, the jail authorities presented a rather rosy picture Of the PTI founder's health in Pakistan's apex court. For instance, they claimed that his vision has returned to normal after treatment. They also added that medical officers visit him thrice in jail and check his vitals including blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation.

According to the authorities, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have met in jail 84 times so far. It is worth noting that the Asim Munir-led military establishment started a brutal crackdown on PTI after its party workers allegedly attacked military installations in May 2023. At present, Khan and Bushra Bibi are serving a 17-year jail term in the Toshakhana-II case. Besides this, the couple has also been convicted in the Toshakhana-I, Al-qadir trust and the unlawful marriage cases. After Khan was arrested, PTI accused Munir of rigging the 2024 general election. To begin with, PTI's candidates were barred From contesting on the party's name and 'bat' symbol. Despite this, PTI-linked independents emerged as the single-largest group with 93 seats.

If not for blatant rigging, PTI believes that the real seat tally was 180, whereas the ruling PMLN won only 17 seats in reality. At a time when Pak Army is batting for creation of more provinces, Is today's development a fresh bid by the Pak establishment to reach out to PTI? Does this also spell trouble for PMLN and PPP? One thing is clear though. Khan's resilience has put the Munir-led hybrid regime in a serious spot of bother.