By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A senior lawyer appointed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to inspect the jail conditions of former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday the jailed politician’s health was “fine” after a meeting at a prison near the capital, amid concerns raised by his family and supporters over his treatment.
Barrister Salman Safdar, Khan’s counsel, visited him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison following a court order directing him to assess the ex-premier’s living conditions and submit a written report by Wednesday. “It is fine,” Safdar told reporters outside the prison when asked about Khan’s health condition, declining to elaborate further. “I will speak about the rest in the report.”
The meeting lasted three-and-a-half hours, and Safdar said he was given full access to Khan in accordance with the Supreme Court’s instructions. The court appointed Safdar as a “friend of the court” a day after rejecting a request by Latif Khosa, a lawyer affiliated with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, for an unannounced meeting with the former leader. The bench issued a notice to the government and resumed hearings on the matter on Tuesday.
According to a copy of the court order, the Supreme Court noted that an earlier report on Khan’s detention pertained to his time at Attock jail in 2023 and did not reflect his current circumstances at Adiala. “Barrister Salman Safdar, ASC, is appointed as a friend of the Court to visit the petitioner at the Central Prison, Rawalpindi today and submit a written report regarding the ‘living conditions of the petitioner in jail,'” the order said. “In this regard, a report regarding the present living conditions of the petitioner shall be submitted,” with the attorney general assuring the court that Safdar would be provided full access.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Safdar described the role as one of trust. “The court has assigned me a duty as a friend of the court, which we refer to as amicus, in which the court places its trust and confidence in you,” he said.
Salman Akram Raja, general secretary of Khan’s PTI party and one of his lawyers, said Safdar had not shared details about Khan’s health. However, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a close aide to Khan, expressed concern in a post on X, citing information from the family of Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi. “Bushra Bibi’s family has confirmed that Khan Saab’s eye is still not in good condition and requires further treatment. This is deeply worrying. His lawyers must urgently push the courts for immediate orders on his medical care and access to his family and personal doctors to oversee the treatment. Every single day matters,” Bukhari stated.
Khan is believed to have last met his family in early December, when his sister, Uzma Khanum, visited him at Adiala jail. Concerns over Khan’s health resurfaced last month after authorities confirmed he had been briefly taken from prison to a hospital in Islamabad for an eye procedure. The government said his condition was stable, but PTI leaders complained they were not informed in advance.
Separately, sources privy to the matter said a meeting between Khan and Bushra Bibi was arranged by jail authorities in the conference room on Tuesday. The meeting lasted around half an hour, during which the couple inquired about each other’s health and well-being, the sources added. The PTI last week submitted a two-page memorandum to the Supreme Court registrar, requesting immediate jail visitation rights for Khan with his family, doctors, lawyers and friends. The party alleged that Khan’s rights as a prisoner and a human being have been consistently violated. Citing reports, the PTI memorandum said: “Imran is being subjected to some secretive medical procedure at a hospital in Islamabad and keeping his relatives in the dark in violation of jail rules.”
Khan has been in custody since August 2023 in connection with multiple cases, including corruption and terrorism charges, which he and his party say are politically motivated to keep him out of power – an allegation the government denies. He was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
In January 2025, an accountability court sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in the Al-Qadir Trust land corruption case. In December 2025, a special court handed Khan and Bushra Bibi 17-year sentences each in the Toshakhana-2 case involving alleged misuse of state gifts. Appeals in both cases are pending.
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