The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed authorities to transfer former prime minister Imran Khan from jail to a hospital, where he has been held for the past three years. This order was announced by his lawyer and party representatives on Tuesday. Following his ouster in a no-confidence vote in 2022, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been embroiled in numerous corruption cases, including allegations related to state gifts and an unlawful marriage.
His family and party members have expressed serious concerns about his worsening health condition while in custody, also claiming they have been denied access to him. Earlier this year, his lawyer informed the court that Imran had suffered significant vision loss in his right eye during imprisonment. However, a medical board later reported some improvement in his eyesight. Most of his convictions, except one, have either been suspended or overturned, with appeals still underway. Imran Khan maintains his innocence in all matters.
Among the more than 100 cases filed against him, key ones include a 2025 conviction resulting in a 14-year prison sentence for land corruption. Prosecutors stated that Imran and his wife received land as a bribe through the Al-Qadir Trust, a charitable organization established by Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan in 2018 while he was still in office. The land, valued at up to Rs7 billion (around $25 million), allegedly came from a property developer facing money laundering charges in Britain. Authorities claim this land was exchanged for a favor involving the return of £190 million to the developer, funds repatriated to Pakistan during the laundering investigation.
In 2024, Imran was convicted for publicly disclosing a classified diplomatic cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022. He received a 10-year prison sentence for this, which was later overturned. He denies these allegations, asserting that the cable’s contents had already been leaked through other media sources. Imran has argued that the cable revealed a US conspiracy to overthrow his government following his visit to Moscow shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—a claim the US government denies.
Another prominent case, known as the Toshakhana or state treasury case, involved Imran receiving a three-year prison sentence in 2023 for selling state gifts worth over Rs140 million (approximately $504,686) that he had acquired during his 2018-2022 tenure as prime minister. This sentence was suspended, but in January 2024, an anti-corruption court sentenced him and his wife to 14 years in jail in the same case; this sentence is currently suspended pending appeal. Imran insists that he legally purchased these items, while government officials allege that his aides sold the gifts in Dubai. A former information minister provided a list of these gifts, which included perfumes, diamond jewelry, dinner sets, and seven watches—six Rolexes—with the most expensive being a Master Graff limited edition valued at Rs85 million (approximately $306,416).
In February 2024, a trial court sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison after ruling that their 2018 marriage violated Islamic laws. However, they were acquitted of these charges in July 2024. The case centered on allegations that they did not observe the waiting period, or ‘Iddat,’ following Bushra Bibi’s divorce from her previous husband. Their marriage contract, or ‘Nikkah,’ was signed in January 2018 during a private ceremony.
Additionally, Imran is undergoing trial on anti-terrorism charges related to violence against the military and other state institutions that erupted after his brief arrest in May 2023. While several of his supporters have been sentenced by military courts, the case against Imran remains ongoing.
