Agencies | Islamabad:
Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shifted from prison to a hospital on medical grounds following an order by the country’s Supreme Court, a development that has fuelled speculation about a possible backchannel understanding between the former premier and the country’s powerful establishment.
A local news agency reported on Thursday, citing sources, that Khan could be heading towards political rehabilitation under what the sources described as a “proper deal”. The claims, however, have not been independently confirmed, and no formal agreement between Khan, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the establishment has been publicly announced.
According to the sources cited in the report, Khan’s transfer to a hospital could represent the first stage of a broader process involving medical and legal relief, followed by a gradual easing of restrictions.
The sources claimed that the move could eventually pave the way for Khan’s return to mainstream politics.
According to the sources, the military and the wider establishment had recognised that Khan remains a “major political force” in Pakistan despite his imprisonment and legal battles.
They suggested that allowing him greater political space could be viewed as preferable to keeping him permanently isolated or forcing him into exile.
“This is a full process and rehabilitation will take place and he will reinforce the existing system,” one source was quoted as saying.
The reported understanding, according to the sources, could begin with medical and jail-related relief before potentially progressing towards the easing of restrictions and the dropping or softening of some cases against Khan.
However, the claims remain speculative, with no official confirmation from the Pakistani government, military establishment or Khan’s legal team regarding any political agreement.
The sources also claimed that any significant relief beyond hospital treatment could depend on Khan and the PTI moderating their strongest criticism of Field Marshal Asim Munir and the military establishment.
According to the report, the establishment’s preference is for political forces to work “together internally” as Pakistan focuses on its broader international role.
The reported understanding could require Khan to signal, either publicly or privately, that he would not immediately resume confrontation with Munir or the military leadership if allowed to return to active politics.
Such an arrangement, if it exists, could represent a significant shift after years of intense political confrontation between Khan and the establishment.
According to the sources, the establishment’s calculation is that Khan continues to command substantial popular support and therefore that keeping him outside the political system indefinitely could prove counterproductive.
Instead, the reported strategy could involve gradually bringing him back into the political mainstream while seeking to prevent another immediate confrontation with the military leadership.
For now, however, Khan’s hospitalisation remains the only publicly reported development, while claims of a broader political understanding remain unverified.
Any formal political rehabilitation would likely have significant implications for Pakistan’s political landscape, particularly given Khan’s continuing influence and the PTI’s position as a major political force.
The reported developments come against the backdrop of prolonged political tensions in Pakistan, where relations between Khan’s supporters and the military establishment have remained deeply strained.
While the hospital transfer could provide Khan with temporary relief from prison conditions, it remains unclear whether it marks the beginning of a wider political accommodation or is solely a medical intervention ordered by the court.
