Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has returned to prison after being temporarily moved to a private hospital for treatment, a spokesman for his party has said.
Pakistan's supreme court allowed the 73-year-old to be relocated from the jail in the garrison town of Rawalpindi to a hospital in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday in a court order earlier this week.
Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, confirmed in a brief statement after midnight local time that he had been transferred from Adiala prison to Shifa International Hospital without providing further details.
He was later moved back to prison following the medical examination.
The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since August 2023 after being convicted in a string of cases which he says were politically driven, having been ousted from power in 2022.
His lawyers say he has lost significant vision in his right eye while in prison, and Khan's sons have repeatedly raised concerns about his health.
Parliamentary affairs minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Thursday that he would allow Khan to receive treatment at a private hospital or abroad if adequate care is not available at a government facility.
He also confirmed the government would ask the supreme court if the medical relief granted to Khan applies only to the former premier or could be extended to other prisoners.
Chaudhry wrote on X that the government would fully comply with the supreme court's ruling and that the request was not intended to delay its implementation.
The court's ruling also ordered the creation of a medical panel to oversee Khan's treatment, including a cardiologist, a general medicine specialist, an eye specialist and Khan's personal physician, Faisal Sultan.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party previously called for the order to be implemented "immediately, fully, and without delay".
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PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said: "We wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much."
Since losing power in a no-confidence vote, Khan has faced multiple cases - including over state gifts and the accusation of an unlawful marriage.
Some have been suspended or overturned, pending appeals, and Khan denies wrongdoing.
(c) Sky News 2026: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan moved back to prison after hospital treatment
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