SC returns govt’s review plea against IK’s transfer to hospital

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday returned the federal government’s review petition challenging its order to shift Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital.

According to sources, the SC Registrar’s Office raised objections, stating that the paper books were incomplete. The sources said the review petition could be filed again after making the required amendments, along with an appeal against the registrar’s objections.

Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, lawyer for Imran Khan, in a post on X on Thursday, said, “We would file a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court over the government’s failure to comply with the SC order to shift Imran Khan to the hospital.”

“The government is violating the court order in the matter of Imran’s transfer to the hospital. The government is bound to transfer Imran to the hospital within two days; if the court order is not implemented, we will file a contempt of court petition in the SC. By showing stubbornness, the government is committing contempt of court,” he added.

Chaudhry also wrote on X that he had gone to Adiala jail to obtain Imran’s signatures on the contempt petition and power of attorney documents. “We will file a contempt of court petition in any case,” he added.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed and comprising Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, on August 18, 26 directed the government to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad within the next two days, and facilitate his meetings with the family members once a week, and allow him to speak with his sons twice a week.

The review petition, filed through Chief Commissioner, Islamabad, Syed Waqar Hussain, contended that the direction to shift the prisoner to a private hospital was “in excess of jurisdiction” and had overlooked the statutory procedure governing the transfer of prisoners to hospitals.

“The Order under Review suffers from errors of law floating on the surface of the record, hence liable to be reviewed,” the petition stated.

The review petition argued that Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, which governs the manner and mode of transferring a prisoner to a hospital, had escaped the SC’s attention in issuing the order.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026