The federal government has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s order directing the transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from prison to Shifa International Hospital.
The review petition has been filed by the Chief Commissioner Islamabad through the Advocate General Islamabad.
In the petition, the federal government has taken the position that the Supreme Court had issued an interim order directing that the PTI founder be shifted to Shifa International Hospital. However, the government has argued that the order exceeds the court’s jurisdiction and has requested that it be reviewed.
The petition states that the PTI founder was sentenced to three years in prison by an Additional Sessions Judge on August 5, 2023. An appeal against the sentence is currently pending before the Islamabad High Court.
Meanwhile, the PTI founder had sought to be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for treatment under Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Islamabad High Court rejected the request on March 12, 2026, following which an appeal was filed before the Supreme Court.
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The federal government has also referred to constitutional and prison rules in its review petition. It has maintained that Article 10-A of the Constitution provides the right to a fair trial, while Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978 sets out the procedure for transferring a prisoner from jail to a hospital.
According to the government’s position, in certain cases, government approval and action through the Inspector General of Prisons are required for transferring a prisoner to a hospital. The government has also stated that a prisoner transferred to a hospital must remain under police supervision.
The petition further points out that the matter had been fixed before the Supreme Court for the first time and that formal notices had not been issued to the relevant parties.
The federal government has therefore sought a review of the Supreme Court’s interim order directing the transfer of the PTI founder to Shifa International Hospital.
