SC returns contempt plea over Imran Khan's hospital transfer

It also sought show-cause notices and orders requiring the respondents to appear personally before the court. Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said he had met officials at the court’s facilitation centre and was informed about the objections raised by the Registrar’s Office.

He said the objection was that a list of allegations against those accused of contempt had not been provided with the petition. Gohar said the party had also approached the court for an early hearing of the matter.

He added that the petition would be filed again on Tuesday after addressing the objections. He stressed that Imran Khan’s health remained a matter of serious concern and urged the authorities to allow family members to meet the PTI founder.

The Supreme Court, in its August 18 order, had directed authorities to transfer the former prime minister to Shifa International Hospital for a medical examination. Instead, Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present,.

The dispute over the hospital transfer has also led to legal action by the federal government. A day after the Supreme Court’s August 18 order, the government filed a review petition challenging the directive, but the Registrar’s Office subsequently returned it with objections.

The Islamabad chief commissioner later filed a separate application seeking an early hearing of the government’s review petition. The PTI has criticised the decision to take Khan to PIMS instead of Shifa International Hospital, calling it a breach of the Supreme Court’s order.

The government, however, has maintained that the decision was made because of security considerations.