News Desk
ISLAMABAD, Aug 20: The Supreme Court on Thursday returned the federal government’s review petition challenging its order to transfer incarcerated former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
According to sources, the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office raised objections to the petition filed by the Islamabad chief commissioner through the Advocate General for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The government is expected to refile the review petition after addressing the objections.
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed in a post on X that the federal government had withdrawn its review petition. He said there was now no justification for delaying implementation of the Supreme Court’s August 18 order and demanded Imran Khan’s immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital.
The federal government had filed the review petition a day earlier, arguing that the Supreme Court’s interim order directing the transfer of Imran Khan to a private hospital exceeded the court’s jurisdiction.
The government maintained that relevant provisions of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, had not been taken into consideration while issuing the order. It cited Rule 197, which lays down the procedure for transferring prisoners from jail to a hospital and requires prisoners undergoing treatment outside jail to remain under police supervision.
The petition also noted that Imran Khan had previously sought permission to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, but the Islamabad High Court rejected his request on March 12. The matter was subsequently taken to the Supreme Court.
Imran Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023 and faces multiple cases following his removal from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Khan and his party maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated.
