Imran’s hospital transfer: contempt plea gets SC number after objections addressed

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allotted a number to a contempt of court petition filed by Dr Uzma Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, over the alleged violation of its August 18 order directing the former prime minister’s transfer to a private hospital for medical examination and treatment.

The petition, which had earlier been returned by the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office with objections, was resubmitted after the objections were addressed.

It has now been numbered as Criminal Original Petition No. 8 of 2026.

Meanwhile, Dr Uzma has also filed a separate application seeking an early hearing of the contempt petition, requesting the apex court to fix the matter for hearing at the earliest.

The development comes amid an escalating legal dispute between the PTI and the government over the implementation of the Supreme Court’s August 18 directive concerning Imran’s medical treatment.

The PTI had earlier approached the apex court alleging that the government had failed to comply with the court’s order by taking Imran to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), rather than Shifa International Hospital, and subsequently returning him to Adiala jail.

Petition returned over objections

The contempt petition was initially returned by the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office after objections were raised regarding its filing.

After meeting the registrar, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that one of the objections concerned the failure to provide the respondents with a list of the charges levelled against them.

Gohar said that the party had been informed that the petition was being returned but that the PTI would remove the objections and resubmit it.

The party subsequently filed the petition again after addressing the registrar’s objections. The apex court has now allotted it a formal number, clearing the way for its processing.

The development follows an assurance given to PTI leaders on Monday that a bench would be constituted soon to take up the contempt proceedings.

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.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and senior party leader Sardar Latif Khosa met the Supreme Court registrar on Monday and were assured that a bench would soon be constituted to hear the contempt matter.

The latest filing means that the contempt petition is now formally numbered, while Dr Uzma’s request for an early hearing puts the question of its scheduling before the apex court.

The Supreme Court will now have to consider both the alleged non-compliance with its August 18 order and the government’s separate challenge seeking its review and recall.