- SC registrar’s office returns petition after raising objections.
- PTI founder taken to Pims over ‘security concerns’: minister.
- Supreme Court had ordered Imran’s transfer to Shifa hospital.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court registrar’s office on Tuesday admitted a contempt of court plea filed by the sister of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan over his hospital transfer.
Earlier today, the top court’s registrar’s office returned Dr Uzma Khan’s plea after raising objections, with sources saying it did not include a list of allegations against the respondents.
Subsequently, the PTI refiled the contempt of court petition after addressing the objection raised by the registrar and was allotted a case number (8/2026).
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar had said earlier that the party would refile its contempt petition today, seeking an early hearing.
“We requested for an early hearing of the application,” Barrister Gohar told media outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad.
The PTI chief said that he had met the Supreme Court registrar at the facilitation centre regarding the petition.
He added that the people named in contempt had not been sent a list of allegations, adding that the party’s contempt petition was being returned.
“We will refile our contempt of court petition today,” Barrister Gohar said, urging that a bench be constituted today so the matter could be heard on Thursday.
Gohar emphasised the importance of the PTI founder’s health and said family members’ meetings were also required under the Supreme Court’s order.
“Today is the day for meetings, I request that the meetings be allowed,” he added.
The PTI chief said that the party had fulfilled its commitment, with nothing being made public from the previous meeting with Khan.
Dr Uzma had filed the petition at the Supreme Court against the alleged violation of the court’s order regarding the jailed PTI founder’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital.
In the petition filed on August 22, the PTI founder’s sister sought initiation of contempt proceedings against those allegedly responsible, along with show-cause notices and directions for their personal appearance before the court.
PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja and Uzair Bhandari filed the petition on behalf of Uzma.
Pims visit
The Supreme Court, in its August 18 order, had directed the authorities to transfer the former premier, incarcerated at Adiala Jail, to Shifa International Hospital for a medical examination.
However, he was instead taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), where doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated. Since his ouster in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple legal cases.
A day after the August 18 order, the federal government filed a review petition against it in the Supreme Court. However, it was returned by the registrar’s office with objections.
The Islamabad chief commissioner later filed another petition seeking an early hearing of the review petition against the court’s order.
While the PTI decried violation of the court’s order regarding the party founder’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital, the government defended the decision, saying the move was purely based on the security situation.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the decision to take Khan to Pims was made by the administration and had nothing to do with the Punjab government.
The PTI founder’s treatment and security were both of paramount importance, he said, adding that the government was aware that taking him to Pims instead of Shifa would cause an uproar.
“Imran’s security was the priority, which is why the decision was made,” he said.
