Govt Challenges SC Order On Imran Khan Hospital Transfer
The federal government on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, moved to challenge a Supreme Court order directing that jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan be shifted to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment. The review petition marks a fresh escalation in a politically sensitive legal battle involving the former prime minister’s health, prison rights and the limits of judicial intervention.
The petition was filed through Islamabad Chief Commissioner Syed Waqar Hussain and argued that the court’s direction to move a prisoner to a private hospital went beyond the applicable legal framework. The government maintained that the matter should be handled under prison rules rather than through an interim order that, in its view, created special treatment for one inmate.
According to the government’s position, the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978 set out the process for transferring convicted or under-trial prisoners for outside treatment. The petition specifically referred to the rule-based requirement for official approvals before a prisoner can be moved to a hospital outside jail, except in emergencies where prison authorities may act immediately and seek sanction later.
The review plea also raised constitutional and procedural objections, saying the order was issued without proper notice to the relevant authorities. The government argued that due process required all directly affected parties to be heard before directions were passed that could affect prison administration, security arrangements and the broader criminal justice system.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, speaking alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, said the government had no objection to Imran Khan receiving medical care but wanted treatment to take place according to law and the jail manual. He argued that the question before the government was whether a particular private hospital could be named for a prisoner and whether the same facility would then have to be extended to others.
The government further argued that the Supreme Court’s interim relief effectively granted several major requests before the case had been fully heard. These included Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital, access to personal doctors, family presence during medical examination and the provision of medical records to his legal team.
The Supreme Court’s earlier order had directed authorities to move Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital within two days and form a multidisciplinary medical board for his examination. It also allowed his personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan and his sister Dr Uzma Khan to remain associated with the medical process, while directing the government to submit complete medical records and details of family and lawyer meetings.
The matter has drawn intense public and political attention because Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and remains the country’s most prominent opposition figure. His health has repeatedly become a point of dispute between PTI, his family and the government, with supporters demanding independent medical access and authorities insisting that he is receiving treatment under jail procedures.
The case also carries wider implications for Pakistan’s prison system. The government has warned that allowing a prisoner to choose a private hospital could encourage similar requests from other convicts, while PTI and Khan’s family have framed independent medical access as a basic right rather than a political concession.
The next stage will depend on how the Supreme Court responds to the review petition and whether it maintains, modifies or recalls its August 18 order. The underlying matter has been fixed for further hearing on September 16, but the immediate question remains whether the former prime minister will be moved to Shifa International Hospital under the existing court direction or treated through an alternative arrangement proposed by the government.