ISLAMABAD: In a persistent effort to counter the apex court’s directions regarding the health management of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, the federal government—acting through the Chief Commissioner Islamabad—has filed a fresh review application seeking the total recall and withdrawal of the Supreme Court’s August 18 interim order.
The fresh filing, submitted as a miscellaneous review petition, comes after the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office previously returned the state’s initial challenge due to paper-book deficiencies and procedural objections.
Having removed those administrative hurdles, the ICT administration has formally refiled its petition to derail the court-mandated transfer of the former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital.
Petitioner Claims Omission as Main Party, Cites Jail Rule Violations
Central to the Chief Commissioner’s refiled plea is the argument that the interim ruling violated fundamental principles of natural justice and statutory prison rules.
The petition takes the explicit stance that the district administration and jail authorities were not properly made parties or given fair notice during the primary proceedings before the three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed.
Furthermore, the government argues that the apex court’s direction to shift a convicted prisoner to a private medical facility bypassed binding administrative frameworks, specifically Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
Citing these statutory guidelines, the plea maintains that transferring an incarcerated individual outside prison walls remains an executive prerogative governed strictly by jail superintendents and inspectors general, asserting that the court’s August 18 order stands against existing law and prison regulations.
The petition forcefully urges the Supreme Court to accept the miscellaneous application, reconsider its interim position, and withdraw the directions that ordered Khan’s admission to Shifa Hospital.
Legal Resistance Follows Overnight Hospitalization Drama
The refiling of the review petition marks the latest escalation in a legal tug-of-war following the high-drama, late-night events of August 20–21.
While a three-judge Supreme Court bench had mandated Khan’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for a multi-week stay under a sub-jail framework, authorities instead executed a secretive overnight movement to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
The operation sparked severe controversy after Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the former premier was examined at PIMS and returned to Adiala Jail within hours, citing security concerns.
The brief check-up drew fierce backlash from Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, who publicly revealed that his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, was completely excluded from the evaluation in direct defiance of the court’s order.
Dr Uzma also disclosed that her brother reported being subjected to severe physical and mental torture, expressing grave fears that authorities were attempting to kill him in the style of late Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
