Imprisoned Nawaz Sharif taken to hospital

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is serving a seven-year jail term over graft charges, was taken to hospital on Saturday (2), officials said.

Sharif was transferred from Kot Lakhpat prison in the eastern city of Lahore to a government hospital, where he was undergoing medical tests.

"Nawaz Sharif has been moved to hospital from jail," a senior government official in Lahore told AFP.

Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz confirmed the news on Twitter.

Sharif has been facing multiple health issues. He was transferred from jail to hospital last July over an irregular electrocardiogram reading during his first prison term, when a graft court sentenced him to ten years in a case revolving around family properties in London.

He was released in September after another court suspended his sentence pending an appeal hearing -- but was again sentenced to seven years in prison for corruption in a second case.

Sharif has denied all the charges against him and claims he is being targeted by the country's powerful security establishment.

The Supreme Court disqualified Sharif from politics for life over the allegations last year, and directed an anti-corruption body to investigate three different charges regarding his family's properties and businesses.

Sharif has been prime minister three times but it has been a rough ride.

He was first expelled from office in 1993 on suspicion of corruption. He won an election in 1997, only to be ousted and exiled after a military coup in 1999.

He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and took power once more in 2013 until his ousting last year.

Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif and opposition leader in the National Assembly, is also facing charges of corruption.

The PML-N party lost the election on July 25 to the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by former cricket hero Imran Khan.