The Pakistan Supreme Court’s order to move Imran Khan from prison to a hospital is about much more than the health of a former prime minister. It raises a larger question about whether Pakistan’s institutions can uphold basic constitutional obligations when the prisoner involved remains one of the country’s most powerful political symbols.

Khan has been behind bars since 2023, convicted in cases he says were designed to remove him from politics. His supporters have repeatedly alleged that his treatment in custody has been punitive. The state, for its part, has insisted that he is being treated according to law. The latest intervention suggests that Pakistan’s highest court is not prepared to leave the question of his medical care entirely to prison authorities. That distinction matters. A court ordering hospitalisation does not establish that Khan has been deliberately deprived of medical treatment. Nor does it invalidate the convictions against him.

But it does indicate that the safeguards surrounding his health have become sufficiently contentious for judicial intervention to be considered necessary. The concern is particularly serious because the dispute involves his eyesight. Khan’s lawyers have alleged severe deterioration in his right........

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