PTI to file contempt petition over delay in Imran Khan’s hospital transfer, says lawyer

Heavy security and police personnel are present outside Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital as only a few hours remain till the deadline of the Supreme Court’s order to transfer Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan there for medical treatment.

On Tuesday, the SC ordered that Imran be moved to the hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. In response, the government filed a review petition before the SC, calling its order “discriminatory in nature”.

The Islamabad police chief and senior personnel were present outside the hospital ahead of the 12am deadline to inspect the security situation. Roads were also cleared of vehicles.

Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum also reached Adiala jail.

PTI Central Information Secretary Waqas Akram said Imran’s health was more important than some “mere glimpse” and called on all party supporters to ensure that “no obstacles are created in his treatment”.

Earlier today, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government had time till midnight to transfer Imran, adding that it was the responsibility of the Islamabad administration and it was working towards it.

Speaking in the Senate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told lawmakers that the government would be bound to provide the PTI founder treatment at Shifa International Hospital or another better-equipped medical facility if the healthcare facilities required for his treatment were not available at government hospitals.

Responding to a point of order raised by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas, the minister said the government had no intention of opposing or creating hurdles in the provision of necessary medical treatment to the PTI founder.

He said the government had already made it clear that the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the matter would be implemented.

Fazal said under the prevailing rules, convicted prisoners were provided medical treatment at government hospitals, and a legal point regarding the extent of such arrangements was before the Supreme Court for clarification.

He said if the Supreme Court determined that the required treatment could be provided outside the existing mechanism, the government would comply with its decision.

The minister reiterated that if a medical facility required by Imran was not available at a government hospital, the government would be obligated to arrange the required treatment at Shifa International Hospital or an even better medical facility.

Turning to concerns raised about the health of Dr Yasmin Rashid, he said the government was concerned about her condition and would again take up the matter with the Punjab government and jail administration.

He assured the House that the government would make sure that all medical facilities permissible under jail rules were provided to her.

The minister said Dr Yasmin had previously been provided hospital treatment and other medical facilities, adding that he would inform the opposition about progress on the matter after obtaining an updated position from the authorities concerned.

In a post on X later, he reiterated that the Supreme Court’s decision would be “implemented in letter and spirit, and the government stands firm on this stance”.

He said the purpose of approaching the Supreme Court was not to disrespect the decision or obstruct its implementation, but “solely to obtain this legal clarification: whether the court’s decision is limited to the case of a specific prisoner or also applies to other prisoners”.

Fazal said that if appropriate and required treatment was not available to Imran in a government hospital, the government could consider all legal options for his better treatment, which may include the option of treatment at Shifa hospital or, “if necessary, treatment abroad”.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah maintained that the review petition had been filed in the Supreme Court and that its hearing was supposed to be held today. When questioned about the petition being returned, he said: “I think it has been refiled.”

He further said that “after the decision there will be further clarity” and that the decision on the petition would come “today or tomorrow”.

Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said that the government was clear on the fact that there were aspects of the Supreme Court decision on which the government had raised technical objections that could potentially cause a breakdown of the justice system.

“Thousands of applications can be filed tomorrow, and then the Supreme Court’s decision is binding for the subordinate courts. In that case, will those thousand people also be transferred to private hospitals? The subordinate court has no power to review the decision against the decision of the Supreme Court,” he added.

Sanaullah further stated that in order to redress the situation, the government “has filed a review petition, and once that decision comes, the government is bound by what the law and constitution say and will respect the court’s decision”.

He also said the government was awaiting a reply from the opposition on the offer of more talks.

According to sources, the SC returned the review petition due to an objection that the required paper books had not been completed along with the review plea.

The sources said the review petition would be filed again after addressing the registrar’s objections, adding that some amendments would also be made to the review petition before it was resubmitted to the SC.

PTI announces filing of contempt petition

Separately, Imran’s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry said earlier that he would file a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court over the government’s failure to comply with its court order regarding his client’s transfer to Shifa International 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,” said Chaudhry in a post on X.

Chaudhry said 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.

Earlier in the day, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed that the government had withdrawn its review petition against the SC order for moving Imran to Shifa International Hospital, demanding immediate implementation of the directive.

“The state has withdrawn its review petition from the SC after objections were placed on it by the SC filing branch. There is no excuse whatsoever for not complying with the SC order of August 18. Imran Khan must be transferred to Shifa International Hospital forthwith. Today is the day,” Raja said in a post on X.

SC orders Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment

On Tuesday, SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family.

The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier’s blood pressure (BP).

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran’s access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record.

Read: Govt calls SC order to shift Imran to private hospital ‘discriminatory’, files review petition

The court further ordered that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist along with Dr Sultan.

His sister, Dr Uzma, will also be associated with the newly established medical board, according to the order. The SC directed that Imran’s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital.

The court also instructed Imran’s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential.

“We assure the court that the medical report will remain completely confidential,” Raja said. The court further directed that no political activity, media talks or press conferences be held outside the hospital.

“Do not engage in politics outside the hospital,” Justice Afghan said. “There are other patients in the hospital,” he added, stressing that other patients should not be affected.

Raja and PTI Parliamentary Secretary Shahid Khattak assured the court that no political activity would take place outside the hospital. “Our political activities will remain completely separate,” Raja said.

Read: Medical board urges concessions for Imran

The court also directed that arrangements be made for Imran to have telephone conversations with his children.

The SC ordered that Imran’s medical reports not be used for political purposes. The court warned that the order could be withdrawn if its directives were violated, while allowing the government and other parties to approach the court if they believed the orders were not being implemented.