Pakistan | By Web Desk
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf welcomed the Supreme Court’s order directing former prime minister Imran Khan to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital, while taking the unusual step of asking supporters not to gather outside the hospital, as party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called for dialogue to lower Pakistan’s political temperature.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Khan’s transfer from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for medical assessment and treatment until September 16. A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed also ordered the formation of a specialist medical board, including Khan’s personal physician, to assess his condition.
PTI described the decision as an important step towards protecting Khan’s right to health and human dignity and called for its full and immediate implementation.
PTI Tells Workers: Stay Away From Hospital
Rather than using the transfer as an opportunity for a large political mobilisation, PTI explicitly asked its supporters to remain away from Shifa International Hospital.
Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said workers should not assemble outside the facility so Khan’s treatment could continue without interruption. PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership similarly pledged to maintain peace and urged supporters to act responsibly.
That message is significant because Khan’s imprisonment and health have repeatedly become rallying points for PTI supporters.
This time, the party is publicly attempting to separate medical treatment from street politics.
Gohar Calls for Political Dialogue
Barrister Gohar said PTI would not politicise Khan’s health and argued that implementation of the Supreme Court ruling could help reduce political tensions.
He urged the government to pursue dialogue rather than taking what he described as “short steps,” saying political differences should ultimately be resolved through negotiations.
Gohar also raised the health of former first lady Bushra Bibi, saying she was entitled to appropriate medical facilities as well.
His comments came as government and opposition representatives have separately agreed to resume political talks, providing a potentially important backdrop to PTI’s more restrained response to the hospital ruling.
Medical Treatment Had Become a Major PTI Demand
PTI had intensified pressure over Khan’s health before Tuesday’s ruling.
A medical report submitted ahead of the Supreme Court hearing flagged concerns over his blood pressure and recommended increased family interaction to help manage anxiety and related health issues. PTI subsequently demanded his transfer to a properly equipped hospital with access to his doctors and family.
Khan has also undergone repeated treatment for an eye condition this year, including procedures at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
The Supreme Court has now moved the issue into a different phase by placing his assessment under a specialist hospital board.
The Changer Angle: PTI Is Testing De-escalation
The most important part of PTI’s reaction may not be its welcome for the court ruling.
It is what the party has told its supporters not to do.
By explicitly discouraging crowds outside Shifa, PTI is removing one potential flashpoint involving supporters, police and other security agencies. At the same time, Gohar is linking implementation of the ruling with a broader appeal for government-opposition dialogue.
That creates a potentially different political sequence:
court relief → peaceful implementation → lower political temperature → dialogue.
Whether that develops into anything larger will depend on the government’s response and implementation of the court order.
For now, however, PTI appears to be presenting Khan’s hospital transfer not as an opportunity to mobilise supporters, but as a possible opening for political de-escalation.