Court to resume proceedings March 12 as govt opposes move to Shifa Hospital, cites medical board overseeing treatment
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing on a miscellaneous application seeking the transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former premier Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital until March 12, after Advocate Sardar Latif Khosa was found unprepared on the relevant jail rules.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the case. At the outset, Advocate General Islamabad informed the court that the jail superintendent’s report had been received. The court, however, noted that the report should have been shared with the opposing counsel earlier.
Khosa proceeded to read out the Adiala Jail superintendent’s report in court, which had a press release from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) attached to it. According to the report, said Khosa, Imran’s first medical examination was conducted at the jail hospital. After this, he was brought to PIMS on two occasions, according to the advocate general, with the second visit necessitated by the need to administer an injection.
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A PIMS doctor had 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 Friend of Court Barrister Salman Safdar – originally submitted before the Supreme Court – along with the miscellaneous application. The bench asked whether it should hear the main appeal or the application on medical grounds first.
Khosa, addressing the court, recalled that Imran had previously been held in Attock Jail following his conviction in the Toshakhana criminal case, where he was kept in what Khosa described as a “strange situation.” A petition regarding his condition had been filed in the Supreme Court in 2023, which had subsequently sought a report on the matter, said Khosa.
The advocate further stated that the case was taken up again in 2026, at which point he informed the Supreme Court that the founder was suffering from an eye condition. He said the government denied the issue for five days before issuing a press release. Safdar had recommended treatment for the eye condition and warned that further delay could lead to serious consequences, Khosa stated.
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 physician and family members.
The federation objected to the maintainability of the request for transfer to Shifa Hospital, with the advocate general informing 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 directions on Safdar’s suggestions, and objected that the court could not issue directions through this application. He cited a Supreme Court decision in support of this position and read the relevant order before the bench, noting that in this case Imran’s sentence had been suspended and bail had been granted.
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Justice Soomro, however, pointed out that the decision being referred to by the advocate general had been followed by a subsequent order as well. Justice Tahir acknowledged that the matter was now before the court and that it would examine it, before turning to Khosa and asking him to suggest what course of action the court could take.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned until March 12, with further proceedings in the case also adjourned until the day after tomorrow, as Khosa was not prepared on the matter of jail rules.
