The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) has urged the government to ensure implementation of the Supreme Court’s order directing the transfer of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
The committee has written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, calling for the court’s directive to be implemented and for Khan to be provided with appropriate medical facilities.
According to the letter, the NDC also urged the prime minister and chief justice to ensure access to Khan’s personal physicians, family members and lawyers. It further appealed to both officials to play a role in improving the political environment in the country.
The development comes amid a legal dispute over the Supreme Court’s August 18 order directing authorities to shift Khan from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital within two days for medical assessment and treatment.
The court also ordered the formation of a medical board comprising specialists and allowed Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, to remain involved in his examination and treatment.
However, the federal government has challenged the order in the Supreme Court, seeking its review or withdrawal.
The review petition was filed by the Islamabad chief commissioner through the Islamabad advocate-general, with the government arguing that the order exceeded the court’s jurisdiction and that relevant authorities had not been formally issued notices before the decision.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said the government wants Khan to first be examined at a government hospital and has sought appropriate modifications to the Supreme Court’s order.
He has argued that, under existing rules, prisoners are generally shifted to government hospitals following medical recommendations before consideration is given to treatment at private facilities.
The NDC’s appeal comes as the two-day deadline set by the Supreme Court for Khan’s transfer has passed without his reported relocation to Shifa International Hospital.
It is worth mentioning that the National Dialogue Committee is a political initiative involving former PTI leaders, including Fawad Chaudhry, Mahmood Maulvi, Imran Ismail, and Muhammad Ali Durrani, seeking to promote dialogue and political reconciliation. Earlier this year, the committee called for political dialogue and measures aimed at reducing political tensions in the country.
