ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan’s most popular politician, was moved to a hospital for medical tests on the orders of the Supreme Court, his political party said early Friday.

Hundreds of police, some wielding sticks, were deployed near Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad, with roads leading to the clinic cordoned off.

“It’s confirmed that he has arrived at Shifa International Hospital,” Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told AFP. “The Supreme Court’s order has been complied with.”

Arif Alvi, the country’s former president and a PTI member, also confirmed Khan’s transfer on X, adding that the whole country “is happy and dancing with joy.”

Khan, 73, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars after being charged with corruption and other crimes. Khan, who has been in jail since 2023, insists the charges were politically motivated.