Pakistan's Senate has clashed over the treatment of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and the implementation of a Supreme Court order for his medical examination at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. Opposition senators said the court's order of 18 August should be followed in full, while the government said it had complied by having Khan examined at a government hospital and that security concerns had prevented a transfer to Shifa. The session was adjourned until 10:30am on Friday.

The debate took place in the Senate on Thursday, 12 November, and was reported by Human Rights News Worldwide. It comes as Khan's lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to schedule an early hearing, in the week beginning 16 November, of the case concerning his transfer to Shifa, saying media reports that his blood pressure had recently risen to 192 raise serious concerns about his health.

What the opposition argued

Senator Ali Zafar urged the government not to politicise Khan's health, warning that political circumstances could change. He told the house: 'We can also come into government tomorrow.' He argued that the Supreme Court's 18 August order should be followed and called for constitutional supremacy and respect for judicial decisions.

Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas supported Ali Zafar's position and called for a Senate committee to inspect prison conditions. Senator Mashal Yousafzai questioned why certain medical examinations had allegedly not been conducted. The opposition's case, in short, is that an order of the country's highest court has gone unimplemented for nearly three months, and that the Senate should hold the government to it.

The government's reply

Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah rejected the allegations, saying the government had complied with the court's order by having Khan examined at a government hospital. He maintained that security concerns prevented his transfer to Shifa Hospital and said the court itself would determine whether its order had been properly implemented. Government senators, meanwhile, accused the PTI of politicising the issue and violating the court's directions, while defending the treatment arrangements for the jailed former prime minister.

The exchange reflects a wider dispute over who decides whether a court order has been carried out. The government says the examination at a government hospital satisfies the order and that the court can judge compliance; the opposition says only a transfer to Shifa, as the order directed, would do so. The Senate debate ended without agreement, and the session was adjourned until 10:30am on Friday.

The court cases behind the row

The Senate row sits on top of active litigation. The News reported that two applications had been filed with the Supreme Court on behalf of Khan and Dr Uzma Khan, asking for the Shifa transfer case to be heard in the week beginning 16 November 2026. The applications also asked the court to schedule a hearing of a contempt petition filed over the failure to transfer Khan to Shifa. They said material highlighting the precarious state of his health and widespread public concern had already been placed before the court.

In a related development, the Islamabad High Court directed that lawyers Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar be allowed to meet Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in Adiala Jail. The court issued the directions while hearing the couple's appeals against their convictions in the 190 million pound Al-Qadir Trust case. Safdar told the court he had met Khan after seven months and Bushra after 11 months, and that Khan had told him his eyesight had improved but his blood pressure remained uncontrolled, posing a risk of brain haemorrhage. Safdar also expressed concern over Bushra's eyesight, saying she was due for another operation on 15 November.

What happens next

The Senate resumes on Friday morning, when the debate may continue. The more decisive step is in the courts: Khan's lawyers want the Supreme Court to take up the Shifa transfer case in the week beginning 16 November, along with the contempt petition over the delay. The court will also have to decide whether the government's handling of the order so far amounts to compliance. Until then, the question of where Khan is examined, and by whom, remains unresolved, and it continues to dominate the political argument between the government and the opposition.