What happened
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court on Saturday, 22 August 2026, over the government’s failure to move jailed party founder Imran Khan to the Shifa International Hospital ordered by the court.
The petition was filed by Khan’s sister Uzma Khan, lawyer Uzair Bhandari and PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, who went to the court for the filing. Legal adviser Naeem Panjutha said the petition seeks action against the prime minister, the law minister, the information minister and other government officials.
What the petition asks
It names Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf, the interior secretary, the inspector general of prisons, a jail superintendent, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar as respondents.
The petition seeks show-cause notices and the personal appearance of the respondents, asks the court to declare them guilty of contempt and punish them in accordance with law, and requests Khan’s immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital for examination there. It also asks the court to appoint a court officer or a local commission to ensure the order is implemented.
Background
A three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim had ordered on 18 August that Khan be moved from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital within two days for medical examination and treatment, and that a medical board be constituted.
Instead, authorities took Khan to the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in the early hours of Friday, 21 August, declared him “medically fit” and returned him to Adiala jail at about 5am. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the change was made because of the security situation “created by PTI workers” on the route to and outside Shifa hospital, and that doctors from Shifa were present at PIMS. He said all the court’s requirements had been fulfilled.
The government’s response
Tarar called the PTI petition “baseless” and said it was the party and Khan’s family that had “committed contempt of court” by gathering crowds outside Shifa. The Islamabad chief commissioner has filed a fresh review petition against the 18 August order, arguing that it conflicts with the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, which he says do not provide for admitting convicted prisoners to private hospitals. An earlier review petition was returned by the Supreme Court registrar on procedural grounds.
Why it matters
The filing deepens the confrontation between the government and PTI over the treatment of Khan, 73, who has been held at Adiala jail since August 2023. The Supreme Court has adjourned the main case until 16 September, while PTI has asked for the contempt petition to be heard earlier. Whether the court takes up the plea, and how it treats the government’s review petition, will shape the next stage of the dispute.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and quoted remarks are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 22 August 2026.
- The Express Tribune — "PTI files contempt petition in SC over alleged violation of order on Imran's hospital transfer"22 August 2026 · The filing, the respondents named, the relief sought and the government's review petition.
- Al Jazeera — "Pakistan's PTI seeks contempt action over jailed Imran Khan's hospital move"22 August 2026 · Naeem Panjutha's remarks, the PIMS examination and the background to the court order.
- Pakistan Today — "PTI moves Supreme Court with contempt plea over Imran Khan hospital transfer"22 August 2026 · Details of the plea and the government's account of the examination at PIMS.
