Imran hospital transfer row: SC fixes Sept 16 for contempt plea hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has fixed for September 16 the hearing of a contempt of court petition filed by Dr Uzma Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, over the alleged non-compliance with its August 18 order directing the authorities to shift the former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital for treatment.

The petition was formally numbered by the apex court on Tuesday as Criminal Original Petition No. 8 of 2026 after objections raised by the registrar’s office were addressed and the plea was resubmitted.

Dr Uzma had approached the Supreme Court seeking contempt proceedings against government and prison officials for allegedly failing to implement the court’s directive regarding Imran’s medical examination and treatment.

The petition had initially been returned by the registrar’s office with objections. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and senior party leader Sardar Latif Khosa subsequently met the registrar and were assured that the matter would be placed before a bench after the objections were removed.

Dr Uzma has also filed a separate application seeking an early hearing of the contempt plea.

The development comes amid a continuing legal dispute between the PTI and the government over the implementation of the Supreme Court’s August 18 order.

According to the official court roster issued for September 16, seven benches will be functioning at the Supreme Court’s principal seat in Islamabad.

Bench-I comprises Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, while Bench-II consists of Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail.

Bench-III includes Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, while Bench-IV comprises Justice Ayesha A. Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

Bench-V consists of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim; Bench-VI comprises Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Shakeel Ahmad; and Bench-VII includes Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar.

The specific bench that will hear the contempt petition will be identified once the detailed cause list for September 16 is issued by the registrar’s office.

What happened after SC’s August 18 order?

On August 18, a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed and comprising Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim directed the government to shift Imran from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within two days.

The court had ordered that the former premier undergo examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board.

The directions were issued while hearing petitions concerning Imran’s hospitalisation, access to his personal physicians and family members, and provision of his medical records.

However, during the intervening night of August 20 and 21, Imran was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa International Hospital. He was subsequently returned to Adiala jail.

Earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the decision to take Imran to PIMS was prompted by the security situation allegedly created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa International Hospital.

 The government maintained that a team of doctors, including specialists, examined Imran at PIMS and declared him medically fit.

The PTI and Imran’s family, however, disputed the government’s account and alleged that the Supreme Court’s directions had not been properly implemented.

Dr Uzma, who was present during the medical examination, alleged that the examination at PIMS was inadequate and that Imran’s medical records were not available to the doctors. She also questioned why he was taken to a government hospital when the apex court had specifically directed his transfer to Shifa International Hospital.

Respondents named in contempt plea

In her contempt petition, Dr Uzma named several government and prison officials as respondents, including Islamabad Chief Commissioner retired Lt Sohail Ashraf, Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar, Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal and Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar were also made respondents.

The petition alleged that the respondents had committed wilful, deliberate and contumacious disobedience of the Supreme Court’s August 18 order.

It sought initiation of contempt proceedings against those responsible and requested the apex court to ensure immediate compliance with its directions.

Dr Uzma also requested the court to depute an officer or appoint a local commission to oversee implementation of the order and ensure that Imran was shifted to Shifa International Hospital for the examination and treatment directed by the court.

Government separately challenges SC order

The contempt proceedings are taking place alongside a separate plea by the government against the August 18 order itself.

The Islamabad chief commissioner has approached the Supreme Court seeking review and recall of the directive requiring Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital.

The government has argued that the order was issued without hearing a necessary party and was inconsistent with the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.

It has also contended that allowing a prisoner to be treated at a private hospital of his choice could set a precedent for other inmates and open the “floodgates” for similar demands.

The government’s review petition was initially returned by the registrar’s office over incomplete paper books and was subsequently expected to be refiled after amendments.

PTI presses for implementation

The PTI has maintained that the government cannot substitute its own arrangements for a specific judicial directive.

Party leaders have repeatedly demanded that Imran be shifted to Shifa and that the medical examination ordered by the Supreme Court be carried out in accordance with the court’s directions.