Tarar Says Imran Khan Was Diverted to PIMS Instead of Shifa Over Security Concerns

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that former prime minister Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, or PIMS, instead of Shifa International Hospital after security concerns emerged during the late-night hospital transfer from Adiala Jail.

According to Tarar's update, Khan was initially expected to be evaluated at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad following directions linked to the Supreme Court order. The minister said the plan changed because PTI workers created security issues along the route, after which authorities diverted the former prime minister to PIMS for the medical examination.

The medical check-up took place overnight between August 20 and August 21, 2026. Tarar said Khan was thoroughly examined by a specialist team that included cardiologists, physicians and eye specialists. After the examination, the doctors declared him medically fit, according to the minister's account.

Tarar also said that Dr Uzma Khan, Imran Khan's sister, was present during the medical process. That detail is important because Khan's family has repeatedly demanded independent medical access and has questioned official versions of his treatment in the past. Her presence may become central to how PTI and the family respond to the government's account.

After the check-up was completed, Khan was shifted back to Adiala Jail at around 5:00 AM on August 21, according to the minister's update. The return to jail ended the immediate hospital movement but did not end the political and legal controversy around the Supreme Court's order and its implementation.

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered that Khan be moved to Shifa International Hospital for examination by a multidisciplinary medical board. The order followed petitions seeking his hospitalisation, access to personal physicians, regular family meetings and medical records. The court also allowed Dr Uzma and Khan's personal physician to remain associated with the medical process.

The government's explanation now places security at the center of the PIMS decision. Officials had already expressed reservations about shifting Khan to a private hospital, arguing that prisoners are normally treated through public-sector facilities unless a private facility is necessary. The government also challenged the Supreme Court order and called it discriminatory.

Several live reports earlier said Khan was taken to Shifa International Hospital under heavy security, while the Financial Times reported that the examination was ultimately conducted at PIMS for security reasons. Tarar's update gives the government's clearest explanation for that discrepancy: the stated plan was Shifa, but the actual medical evaluation was conducted at PIMS after route security became a concern.

For PTI, the key question is likely to be whether diverting Khan to PIMS complied with the Supreme Court's order in substance and spirit. Khan's family and party have previously argued that PIMS reports should not be treated as enough and that he should be examined by independent specialists at Shifa. The government, by contrast, is presenting the PIMS visit as a complete medical examination carried out under specialist supervision.

The hospital location matters because this case is not only about one medical check-up. It is also about transparency, prisoner rights, court compliance and public trust. Khan remains Pakistan's most prominent jailed opposition leader, and any dispute over his health quickly becomes a national political issue.

The next important step will be the formal medical record and any filing before the Supreme Court. If the court accepts the government's explanation, the dispute may shift toward Khan's future access to doctors and family. If the court questions the PIMS diversion, the case could create a fresh confrontation between PTI, the government and the court.

For now, the updated picture is clearer than before: the Supreme Court order pointed to Shifa International Hospital, but the government says Khan was diverted to PIMS because of security concerns, examined overnight by specialists, declared medically fit, and returned to Adiala Jail around 5:00 AM on August 21, 2026.