Islamabad chief commissioner seeks early hearing of review petition against order to shift Imran to private hospital

Islamabad's chief commissioner has formally requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to expedite the hearing of a government review petition challenging a previous order to transfer incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan to a private hospital. The application, filed on Saturday, seeks an early date for the court to reconsider its August 18 directive.

The government's core argument is that the order to move the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder to Shifa International Hospital infringes upon the government's constitutional authority. The review petition contends that the August 18 judgment suffers from a fundamental procedural defect, as the prescribed procedure for transferring a convict to a hospital for treatment was overlooked. This, the petition argues, renders the order liable for review.

Previously, the Supreme Court Registrar's Office had returned the federal government's review petition. Objections were raised regarding the affidavit and facts presented, as well as the overall structure of the petition filed under Article 188 of the Constitution. The Registrar directed that the petition be resubmitted within two weeks after addressing these issues.

The review petition further asserts that the August 18 order is discriminatory. It highlights Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to equal treatment, and argues that the court's direction for Khan's treatment in a private hospital, based on a report not indicating immediate medical necessity, could disrupt the entire criminal justice system. The petition warns that such a decision could open the door for similarly placed convicts to demand special treatment, violating prison rules and potentially leading to a floodgate of such requests under prevailing law.