Pakistan court rejects second urgent hearing plea for Imran Khan’s hospital transfer contempt case

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has rejected a second formal request seeking an expedited hearing of a contempt of court petition concerning the transfer of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan from prison to a hospital.

Supreme Court registry officials confirmed on Monday that the contempt petition filed by Khan's sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, will remain scheduled for its original hearing date on September 16.

Why did the Supreme Court reject the urgent hearing request?

Court officials clarified that under the Supreme Court's established case fixation policy, petitions and appeals are routinely listed and taken up strictly according to their assigned order. Registry records indicate that 94 criminal contempt petitions in the same category are currently pending before Dr. Uzma Khan's filing, rendering an out-of-turn early hearing inadmissible under prevailing procedural rules.

The decision follows an earlier miscellaneous application filed by the defense seeking an accelerated timeline, which the registry similarly denied. The court noted that because the main case addressing Imran Khan's medical treatment and family visitation rights is already set for September 16 before a three-member bench, the contempt petition will naturally be taken up alongside the primary matter on that date.

What is the background behind the contempt of court petition?

The contempt proceedings stem from an August 18 Supreme Court order directing state authorities to transfer Imran Khan from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for specialized medical evaluations and treatment. Dr. Uzma Khan filed the contempt application alleging that government and prison officials committed willful non-compliance by briefly transporting Khan to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead of the designated private facility, before returning him to prison.

The federal government defended its actions, citing security protocols, and has filed a review petition challenging the directive to use a private hospital. The scheduled September 16 proceedings before the Supreme Court are expected to address both the government's review challenge and the PTI leadership's contempt petition regarding judicial compliance.