IHC rejects IK’s plea seeking his shifting to Shifa Hospital

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s request to shift him to Shifa International Hospital for eye treatment.

A division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, which on Thursday heard the plea, directed Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa to constitute a new medical board and include Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, Head of Ophthalmology Department, PIMS Islamabad, and Prof Dr Nadeem Qureshi, Head of Vitreo-Retina Department, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, in it.

It stated, “The medical board so constituted shall furnish its recommendations to the Chief Commissioner ICT at the earliest, in accordance with law and the relevant prison rules, who shall take an appropriate decision whether to shift the appellant to any hospital outside the prison premises or otherwise.”

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The ruling further said, “under Rule 795 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, the prison authorities are obligated to inform the relatives of a convicted prisoner when the prisoner develops a serious medical condition. Therefore, the prison authorities shall act strictly in accordance with rules.”

It also said that under Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, the power to remove a convicted prisoner for special treatment outside the prison premises vests in the government. The jurisdiction of this Court under section 561-A CrPC cannot be invoked to interfere with or substitute the power vested in the executive.

The bench mentioned, “The report furnished by the Superintendent, Central Prison Rawalpindi shows that substantial steps have been taken to ensure proper treatment of the appellant, who was recently examined by a Medical Board including Dr Muhammad Arif Khan, Head of the Ophthalmology Department, PIMS, Islam-abad, and Prof Dr Nadeem Qureshi, Head of the Vitreo- Retina Department, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, besides earlier medical examinations/ treatment on 16.01.2026, 24.01.2026, 02.02.2026 and 20.02.2026.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026