ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government said on Saturday it had complied with a Supreme Court order on jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s medical treatment, rejecting a contempt petition filed by his sister after authorities took him to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility specified by the court.
Khan’s sister Uzma Khan filed the petition earlier on Saturday against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers and senior officials, accusing them of violating the top court’s order to transfer the 73-year-old opposition leader to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for medical examination and treatment.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government had fulfilled the court’s requirements, arguing that Shifa ophthalmologists were present when Khan was examined at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and that his sister was also allowed to be present.
“All the requisites, all the requirements of the Supreme Court order were fulfilled,” Tarar said in a televised media statement.
He said the government had changed the venue because supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had gathered outside Shifa and created a security risk, repeating an explanation he first gave in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.
“When I issued the tweet, I said that because the people of Tehreek-e-Insaf have created a risk there in relation to security, and have gathered there, that is why they are being taken to PIMS, and when PIMS was inspected, as per the court’s order, the ophthalmologists of Shifa were present there,” Tarar said.
The Supreme Court had directed authorities on Tuesday to transfer Khan to Shifa within 48 hours and allow him to remain there until Sept. 16, subject to recommendations by a medical board. It also directed that his personal physician and sister be involved in the medical process.
Uzma Khan said on Friday she was taken to PIMS, where she met her brother. Khan’s personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, was taken separately to Shifa, where he waited for almost three hours before leaving after the former premier did not arrive.
The contempt petition filed by Khan’s sister argued that the former prime minister was not given the complete medical examination ordered by the court and underwent only a routine eye examination, received an eye injection and had his blood pressure checked.
“In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully prayed that this Honorable Court may be pleased to hold and declare that the respondents/contemnors have committed contempt and impose appropriate punishments on them as provided by law,” the petition said.
It named Sharif, Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Islamabad’s chief commissioner and the superintendent of Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, where Khan is incarcerated, as respondents.
The petition also rejected the government’s security justification for taking Khan to PIMS, saying a “decoy convoy” carrying Sultan, which onlookers were made to believe included Khan, had reached Shifa and returned to Adiala Jail without hindrance. It also pointed out that the Supreme Court had directed the government to make adequate security arrangements at Shifa.
The information minister, however, accused Khan’s PTI and his family in his statement of themselves violating the court’s directions by gathering supporters outside Shifa and making political statements over his treatment.
“So, if there has been a violation of the court order, and if somebody is in contempt, it is Imran Khan’s sister and his party who are in contempt, and his political leadership,” he said.
Tarar said the court had directed that Khan’s medical treatment not be politicized and that authorities ensure security for his transfer.
He argued that gatherings outside Shifa, political statements by PTI leaders and what he described as obstacles created for the administration amounted to violations of those directions.
Khan was shifted from prison to PIMS on Thursday night, hours after the Supreme Court registrar’s office returned a government petition seeking a review of the hospital order because of filing deficiencies.
The government had argued in its review petition that allowing a convicted prisoner treatment at a specified private hospital could encourage other inmates to seek similar relief.
Tarar said on Saturday the government had not obstructed Khan’s treatment and would continue to provide medical care whenever required.
“The government has not stopped the treatment even for a day. The treatment has been done. It is being done. It will continue to be done whenever needed,” he said.
Khan served as prime minister from 2018 until April 2022, when he was removed from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He alleges his political rivals colluded with the military to oust him, charges both deny.
Khan has faced more than 100 legal cases since leaving office, ranging from corruption allegations to charges related to violence by his supporters following his brief arrest in May 2023.
All his convictions except a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust land corruption case have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. Khan denies wrongdoing.
