The court will resume proceedings on March 12 as the government opposes the transfer to Shifa Hospital and summons a medical board overseeing the treatment.
Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Photo: Archive
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing on a miscellaneous petition seeking transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital till March 12 after lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa was found unprepared about the relevant jail rules.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the case. Initially, Advocate General Islamabad informed the court that the report of the jail superintendent had been received. However, the court noted that the report should have been shared with the opposing party’s counsel earlier.
Khosa proceeded to read out in court the Adiala Jail Superintendent’s report, which had attached a press release from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). According to the report, Khosa said, Imran’s first medical examination was conducted at the jail hospital. After this, he was taken to PIMS on two occasions, according to the general counsel, with the second visit necessitated by the need to administer an injection.
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A PIMS doctor also conducted a medical examination inside the jail hospital and suggested that the injection be administered at the hospital.
Khosa informed the court that he had attached a report submitted by court advocate Salman Safdar’s friend (originally submitted before the Supreme Court) along with the miscellaneous application. The court asked whether it should hear the main appeal or the application on medical grounds first.
Addressing the court, Khosa recalled that Imran had earlier been detained in Attock Jail following his conviction in the Toshakhana criminal case, where he was held in what Khosa described as a “strange situation”. A petition regarding his status was filed in 2023 with the Supreme Court, which subsequently sought a report on the matter, Khosa said.
The lawyer further stated that the case was taken up again in 2026, at which time he informed the Supreme Court that the founder was suffering from an eye disease. He said the government denied the matter for five days before issuing a press release. Safdar had recommended treatment for the eye condition and warned that further delay could have serious consequences, Khosa said.
When asked by Justice Tahir about the specific relief sought in the application, Khosa said he had requested that Imran be transferred to Shifa International Hospital and that access be granted to his personal doctor and family members.
The federation opposed the maintainability of the application for transfer to Shifa Hospital, and the advocate general informed the court that in light of the Supreme Court’s directions, a medical board comprising PIMS doctors Dr Arif and Dr Nadeem Qureshi had already been constituted to oversee the treatment of Imran’s eye condition.
The advocate general further contended that the Supreme Court had not issued any direction on Safdar’s suggestions and objected that the court could not issue directions through this petition. He cited a Supreme Court decision in support of this position and read out the relevant order before the court, pointing out that in this case Imran’s sentence had been suspended and bail had been granted.
Read more: SC questions delay in Imran’s response
Justice Soomro, however, noted that the decision the attorney general was referring to had also been followed by a subsequent order. Justice Tahir acknowledged that the matter was now before the court and that he would look into it, before turning to Khosa and asking him to suggest what course of action the court might take.
The hearing was later adjourned to March 12, and further proceedings in the case were also adjourned to the day after tomorrow, as Khosa was not prepared on the issue of jail rules.
