Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has finally met his wife Bushra Bibi and sister Noreen Niazi at Adiala Jail, ending months of restricted family access just as a fresh legal battle erupts over the Supreme Court's order to move him to a private hospital.

The meeting took place after Pakistan's Supreme Court directed authorities to allow Khan weekly family visits and ordered that he be transferred from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.

Khan's meeting with his family was his first in around nine months, according to reports.

The jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder has faced prolonged restrictions on access to relatives and has remained behind bars since August 2023.

The Supreme Court's intervention came amid continuing concerns about the 73-year-old former prime minister's health.

His family and legal team have raised concerns over his deteriorating condition, including problems with his vision.

The court ordered that a medical panel, including specialists and Khan's personal physician, assess and treat him at the private hospital.

The court also opened a channel for Khan to speak to his sons, who live in London and have not seen their father for several years. The order allows telephone contact with them, alongside weekly meetings with family members.

However, the apparent breakthrough for Khan could quickly turn into another confrontation with the government.

Pakistan Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Wednesday that the government intends to challenge the Supreme Court's hospital-transfer order. The government has argued that prisoners should generally receive treatment in prison facilities or public hospitals rather than private medical institutions.

That challenge puts the spotlight back on the long-running dispute over Khan's treatment in custody.

His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling and called for it to be implemented swiftly, while his family has continued to express concern about his health.

Khan, who was removed as Pakistan's Prime Minister in 2022, remains a major political force despite his imprisonment and multiple criminal convictions.

He denies wrongdoing and has repeatedly described the cases against him as politically motivated. His first family meeting in months therefore comes at a politically sensitive moment.

What initially appeared to be a rare reunion behind the walls of Adiala Jail has now become part of a wider legal and political confrontation over Khan's health, access to his family and the conditions of his imprisonment.

With the government preparing to challenge the hospital order, the Supreme Court's decision could become the latest flashpoint in the continuing struggle surrounding Pakistan's most prominent jailed opposition leader.