Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was taken today to a public hospital seeking medical attention for his back, allegedly injured while he was under police detention in 1998, lawyer Sankara Nair said.

The government has refused to allow Anwar to travel overseas for a back operation to repair the prolapsed disc in his spine, which hinders his movement.

Nair said the government had invited Anwar, once heir apparent to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to have his back checked by a local specialist, hoping the former deputy premier would agree to allow Malaysian doctors to operate.

"He is still in great pain. He is on painkillers," Nair said.

Anwar's arch political enemy, Mahathir, has said his decision to refuse his former deputy an overseas operation was final.

Looking cheerful

"Anwar was brought to hospital under tight security. He was in a wheelchair and wore a neck brace," his brother, Rosli Ibrahim, told AFP . "He looked cheerful."

Anwar was to be returned to the Sungai Buloh prison later today.

His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said that Anwar's injuries may have been inflicted by police beatings after his arrest.

Anwar is serving a total of 15 years in jail after having been convicted for abuse of powers and sodomy. He says he was framed to avert a political challenge to Mahathir, an allegation denied by the government. AFP