Imran Khan’s Blood Pressure ‘Reached 192’, PTI Claims — But Accounts of His Health Differ

Imran Khan’s blood pressure rose to 192, his party says — but nobody can agree on what actually happened, or even on where the claim came from.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) says the jailed former prime minister’s blood pressure spiked to an alarming level and has demanded that he be moved at once to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, where his own doctors could treat him. The claim has set off a fresh row over Khan’s health and his medical care in prison.

But the story is far from clear. The lawyer who met Khan in jail this week says he is not the source of the alarming reports. Other people familiar with the same meeting say Khan did mention a reading of around 190 — but that he looked generally fit and there was no sign of an immediate medical emergency. No independent medical report has been made public, and the government has not published its own account of Khan’s health.

This article explains what is known, what is disputed, and why the claim matters.

At a glance

• What PTI claims: Imran Khan’s blood pressure rose to 192, and he should be moved immediately to Shifa International Hospital for treatment by his personal doctors.
• Who made the claim: Khan’s sister Rubina Khan and his son Kasim Khan shared the claim on social media, and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja repeated it.
• What is disputed: The lawyer who met Khan in Adiala Jail on 2 November says he was not the source of the reports. People familiar with the meeting say Khan mentioned a reading of around 190 but looked generally fit.
• What has not happened: No independent medical report has been published, and the government has not released its own medical account of the reported episode.
• The background: In August, the Supreme Court ordered Khan to be taken to Shifa International Hospital for a full medical examination. He was instead taken to a state-run hospital, and PTI has filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court.

What PTI and the family say

The alarm was raised in statements shared on social media by Khan’s sister Rubina Khan and his son Kasim Khan. Rubina Khan claimed her brother had sent a message saying his blood pressure had suddenly risen to 192, and that his life was under threat in jail. She demanded that he be admitted at once to an independent medical institution in the presence of his personal doctor.

Kasim Khan linked the reported spike in blood pressure to his father’s prolonged isolation in prison, warning that he could die in his prison cell if he was not released.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has also said Khan’s blood pressure had escalated to 192, raising concerns about his health. Speaking after opposition leaders met in Islamabad, Raja said Khan’s blood pressure was not under control. The party demanded his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment under his personal physicians, and pointed to a Supreme Court order of 18 August on the matter.

The family says that Supreme Court order — which required treatment at Shifa International Hospital — has not been carried out. They also say that an Islamabad High Court order allowing twice-weekly visits has not eased the broad limits on access to Khan.

What the lawyer says

The claims came a few days after Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, met him in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on 2 November. It was the first meeting between Khan and his lawyer since April, according to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. Safdar said he had met Khan after seven months, and his wife Bushra Bibi after 11 months, following repeated applications and requests.

After the meeting, Safdar disclosed that the jail authorities had arranged a 40-minute meeting with Khan and his wife at 4:30pm on 2 November. In a post on X, he said the meeting was not long enough to cover all the pending cases and legal matters.

But when the alarming health reports began to circulate, Safdar said he was not their source. Describing himself as a professional lawyer, he said his role was restricted to legal responsibilities and that he was not a messenger for anyone. That raises an obvious question: if the lawyer who met Khan did not pass on the health claim, who did? Neither Rubina Khan nor Kasim Khan has publicly identified who conveyed the reported update to them.

The other account: Khan looked “generally fit”

People familiar with the circumstances of the 2 November meeting have offered a somewhat different account of Khan’s health. According to these sources, the former prime minister did mention that his blood pressure had once risen to around 190. But they described him as otherwise generally fit and said they saw no sign of an immediate serious medical emergency.

The same sources said Khan was particularly concerned about the health of his wife, Bushra Bibi, who reportedly has an eye-related problem.

The gap between the two accounts is the heart of the story. On one side, the family and the party describe a sudden, dangerous spike and a life at risk. On the other, people who were close to the meeting describe a man who mentioned a high reading but appeared well. Until a medical report is published, neither version can be confirmed — and readers should treat the figure of 192 as a claim by the party and the family, not as a confirmed medical finding.

Why the number 192 matters

Blood pressure is measured in two numbers, written one over the other. The top number, systolic pressure, measures the force when the heart beats. The bottom number, diastolic pressure, measures the force when the heart rests between beats. A reading of 192 refers to the top number.

To put that in context, the American Heart Association says a reading above 180 for the top number, or above 120 for the bottom number, counts as a hypertensive crisis. Its guidance is to wait five minutes and take the reading again. If it is still that high, the person should contact a health professional promptly. If the high reading comes with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, a sudden severe headache, changes in vision, difficulty speaking or numbness, it is a medical emergency and the person needs urgent hospital care.

That is why a figure of 192, if accurate, would be taken seriously by any doctor. But a single reported reading is not a diagnosis. Blood pressure can rise for many reasons — stress, pain, illness, missed medicine, or a faulty reading — and it can fall again. Only a proper medical examination, with repeated readings and checks for any damage, can show how serious the situation really is. That is exactly what PTI says Khan is not getting.

It is also worth noting that Khan’s health has been a concern before. In January this year, he was taken from Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, where he underwent a 20-minute procedure for an eye condition.

The August court order — and what happened instead

The row over Khan’s medical care goes back to August. On 18 August 2026, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Shahid Wahid, ordered the authorities to shift Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within two days for a medical examination and treatment.

The court ordered a complete medical examination of Khan, then 73 years old. A medical board was to include a physician, a general surgeon, a specialist in internal medicine, an eye specialist and a cardiologist. The court also allowed Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, and his sister Dr Uzma Khan to be involved in his examination and treatment. The court said neither Khan’s family nor his lawyers would share his medical report with the media.

But that is not what happened. Instead of Shifa, Khan was taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical examination and then returned to Adiala Jail in the early hours of the morning. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan was taken to PIMS because of security concerns along the planned route to Shifa, and that doctors had declared him medically fit. PTI said the change of hospital, and the lack of access for his personal physician, broke the Supreme Court’s directions.

PTI has now filed a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court against the government for not shifting Khan to Shifa Hospital. The petition was filed on Saturday 31 October. Speaking after filing it, Salman Akram Raja said there was a deliberate plan behind the decision not to shift Khan to Shifa, and said there had been neither security issues nor any gathering of PTI workers that would have justified the change.

Limited access to Khan

Khan has been in jail since 2023. Since then, access to him — by his family, his lawyers and his party — has been limited, and it has become a recurring source of dispute.

The 2 November meeting was the first time his lawyer had seen him in seven months. His wife, Bushra Bibi, had not met the lawyer for 11 months. The meeting lasted only 40 minutes, which Safdar said was not enough to deal with the pending cases.

The Islamabad High Court has allowed twice-weekly visits, but the family says this has not eased the broad limits on access. The Islamabad High Court was due on Thursday 5 November to hear a petition by members of the National Dialogue Committee seeking permission to meet Khan at Adiala jail.

Separately, the Islamabad High Court has fixed 10 November for hearing the appeals of Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case.

The limited access is part of why the health claims are so hard to check. When only a handful of people can see Khan, and they give different accounts, the public is left to weigh competing claims with no medical report to settle the matter.

Why this story matters beyond one man

For PTI and his supporters, the reports feed a long-standing complaint: that Khan is being denied proper medical care and kept cut off from his family and doctors. For the government, the claims are unverified and, in the words of the sources familiar with the meeting, at odds with how Khan appeared.

The dispute also raises a wider question about prisoners’ medical care. Whatever a prisoner’s politics, the state has a duty to look after their health. When a court orders a specific hospital and a specific examination, and that order is not followed, it damages trust — not only in the prison system, but in the courts themselves. That is why the contempt petition matters: it is not only about one hospital visit, but about whether court orders on a prisoner’s medical treatment are obeyed.

What happens next

Several things could settle the dispute in the coming days:

• A medical examination. The clearest way to end the argument is an independent medical examination, with the results shared through the proper channels. The Supreme Court has already ordered one; the question is whether it will now happen at Shifa, as ordered.
• The Islamabad High Court hearing. The court was due on 5 November to hear the petition seeking permission for the National Dialogue Committee to meet Khan. More access could mean more reliable information about his condition.
• The contempt petition. The Supreme Court will have to decide whether the government broke its 18 August order by taking Khan to PIMS instead of Shifa.
• The 10 November hearing. The Islamabad High Court is due to hear Khan’s and Bushra Bibi’s appeals in the £190 million case on 10 November.
• A government statement. So far, the government has not published its own medical account of the reported episode. A clear, detailed statement — or a medical bulletin — would do more than anything else to settle the matter.

Frequently asked questions

What did PTI claim about Imran Khan’s health?

PTI says Imran Khan’s blood pressure rose to 192 and has demanded his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for treatment by his personal doctors. The claim was first shared on social media by Khan’s sister Rubina Khan and his son Kasim Khan.

Has the blood pressure reading of 192 been confirmed?

No. No independent medical report has been published, and the government has not released its own medical account. The figure of 192 should be treated as a claim by the party and the family, not as a confirmed medical finding.

What did Imran Khan’s lawyer say?

Salman Safdar, who met Khan in Adiala Jail on 2 November, said he was not the source of the alarming health reports. He said his role was limited to legal duties and that he was not a messenger for anyone.

Did other people give a different account?

Yes. People familiar with the 2 November meeting said Khan did mention that his blood pressure had once risen to around 190, but they described him as otherwise generally fit and said there was no sign of an immediate serious medical emergency.

What did the Supreme Court order in August?

On 18 August 2026, the Supreme Court ordered that Khan be taken to Shifa International Hospital within two days for a complete medical examination by a board of specialists, with his personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan involved. Instead, he was taken to the state-run PIMS hospital and returned to jail. PTI has filed a contempt petition over the matter.

Why does the blood pressure number matter?

The American Heart Association says a reading above 180 for the top number, or above 120 for the bottom number, counts as a hypertensive crisis. Its guidance is to retake the reading after five minutes and contact a health professional promptly — and to seek emergency care at once if there are symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness or vision changes. A single reported reading, however, is not a diagnosis.

Conclusion

The claim that Imran Khan’s blood pressure reached 192 has raised real concern — and real questions. If the reading is accurate, it would be a serious medical matter that needs prompt attention. But the claim comes with no medical report, its source is unclear, and the lawyer who saw Khan most recently says he did not pass it on. Other accounts of the same meeting describe a man who looked generally fit.

That leaves the public with a dispute, not a diagnosis. The way to settle it is straightforward: a proper medical examination, carried out as the Supreme Court ordered, with the findings shared through the proper channels. Until that happens, the argument over Khan’s health will go on — and so will the questions about his medical care in prison.

Sources

• The News, “Source of alarming reports about Imran’s health remains unclear”, 5 November 2026: https://www.thenews.pk/print/1447024-source-of-alarming-reports-about-imran-s-health-remains-unclear
• Zark News, “PTI Says Imran Khan’s Blood Pressure Reached 192 and Demands Hospital Transfer; Accounts of His Health Differ”, 5 November 2026: https://zarknews.com/pti-imran-khan-blood-pressure-shifa-transfer-claim/
• Soch Fact Check, “AI-generated image falsely shows Imran Khan at Shifa hospital”, 25 August 2026 (background on the 18 August Supreme Court order and the PIMS visit): https://www.sochfactcheck.com/ai-generated-image-falsely-shows-imran-khan-at-shifa-hospital/
• American Heart Association, “When To Call 911 About High Blood Pressure”: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings/when-to-call-911-for-high-blood-pressure

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.