The legal battle over former PM Imran Khan’s hospital transfer has taken another turn, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) explaining why Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was not named as a respondent in its contempt of court petition.
Imran Khan’s party approached Supreme Court over what PTI describes as violation of the court’s August 18 order directing Imran Khan’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for medical examination and treatment. Instead, Khan was taken to the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) during the night of August 20-21 and was later returned to Adiala Jail.
PTI lawyer Uzair Karamat Bhandari explained that the party did not include Mohsin Naqvi because it had not found any statement or other material directly linking the interior minister to the alleged violation.
Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attaullah Tarar were named because their public statements concerning Imran Khan’s transfer form part of the evidence cited in the petition. PM was included on different legal basis. PTI relied on Supreme Court precedents, including the Yousaf Raza Gilani case, arguing that when a government fails to comply with a court order, ultimate responsibility can rest with the chief executive.
Naqvi could still be brought into the case later if evidence emerges connecting him to the disputed decision or if the court determines that he played a role in the matter.
PTI’s lawyers have also explained the inclusion of the Interior Secretary, saying that under the Rules of Business 1973, the secretary is the administrative head of the Interior Ministry.
The petition names several officials and political figures over the alleged non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive. Reports identify Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf, Punjab Inspector General Prisons Mian Salik Jalal and Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig among the respondents.
Imran Khan’s party accused authorities of deliberately disregarding the Supreme Court’s August 18 order. According to the petition, PTI alleges four major violations: Khan was not transferred to Shifa International Hospital; the ordered medical board was not constituted; he was not examined by the prescribed board; and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, was not included in the medical process.
PTI has asked the Supreme Court to issue show-cause notices, order the respondents’ personal appearance and initiate contempt proceedings against those found responsible. The party has also requested Khan’s immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital and sought the appointment of a court officer or local commission to monitor implementation of the court’s order.
The government defended the decision to take PTI chief to PIMS instead of Shifa International Hospital, citing security concerns arising from PTI supporters gathering outside and along the route to Shifa.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan underwent a medical examination by a team including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician and was declared medically fit. PIMS later confirmed that two specialists from Shifa participated in the eye examination, while other assessments were conducted by PIMS specialists. Khan was subsequently returned to Adiala Jail at around 5am on August 21.
PTI disputes the government’s account and maintains that the Supreme Court’s order specifically required Khan to be taken to Shifa and examined by the designated medical board.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has also defended the timing of the contempt petition, rejecting suggestions that the party could have filed it earlier and secured an immediate hearing. Raja said Dr Uzma Khan emerged from Adiala Jail at around 8:30pm, after which lawyers contacted Uzair Bhandari at approximately 9pm and began preparing the petition.
He said Friday’s court filing window ended at around 11:30am, leaving only a few hours to gather, organize and bind the documentary evidence.
Raja further argued that filing the petition earlier would not automatically have resulted in an immediate hearing because Supreme Court petitions normally undergo a scrutiny process before being placed before a bench.
He cited PTI’s electoral-symbol case, in which a petition was filed around 8pm and heard the next morning at 9am, but described that as an exceptional situation rather than the normal procedure.
The dispute now places the government and PTI on a direct collision course over the Supreme Court’s authority and implementation of its orders.
PTI files contempt petition against govt over Imran Khan’s hospital transfer
