PTI Resubmits Contempt Plea for Imran Khan's Hospital Transfer

The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) on Tuesday resubmitted a contempt of court petition by PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, to the Supreme Court (SC).

The plea alleges violation of the SC's August 18 order for the ex-premier’s transfer to a private hospital. Uzma Khan also filed an application for the early hearing of the contempt petition. The contempt plea was re-submitted shortly after the SC returned it due to certain objections. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated the SC registrar informed him the petition was returned because the list of charges against respondents had not been dispatched.

Last week, Uzma Khan filed the initial petition against authorities for violating the court’s August 18 order. The court had ordered the government to shift Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital, a private facility, within two days for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. However, the government instead took the PTI founder to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), a government hospital, for a check-up and then transported him back to prison.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar blamed the security situation created by PTI workers on the way to and outside the hospital for the diversion. Pims stated on Tuesday that its CT machine remains functional following reports that Imran Khan could not undergo a heart scan during his visit last week. Doctors had recommended a CT coronary angiography (CTA), but hospital staff reportedly said the facility was unavailable.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the non-functional CTA facility at Pims and constituted an inquiry committee. Twenty-two former international cricket captains, including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday to ensure proper medical treatment for Imran Khan.