Govt seeks Supreme Court review of order to move PTI founder to hospital

The petition has been filed in the Supreme Court by the Chief Commissioner Islamabad through the Advocate General Islamabad. It states that the apex court issued an interim order on 18 August directing that the PTI founder be moved to Shifa International Hospital. It adds that the order exceeds the court’s jurisdiction and needs to be reviewed.

The petition states that an additional sessions judge sentenced the PTI founder to three years in prison on 5 August 2023. An appeal against the sentence was filed in the Islamabad High Court.

According to the petition, during the hearing the PTI founder requested, under Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, to be moved to Shifa International Hospital for treatment. The Islamabad High Court rejected the request on 12 March 2026. An appeal against that decision was filed in the Supreme Court.

In the review petition, the federal government says that in some cases moving a prisoner out of jail requires government approval and action through the Inspector General of Prisons. It adds that police supervision of a prisoner moved to hospital is also mandatory.

Citing Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978, the petition says the procedure for moving a prisoner from jail to a hospital is clearly laid down in law.

According to the federal government, Article 10-A of the Constitution guarantees the right to a fair trial and to proceedings in accordance with legal requirements. The petition states that the matter was fixed before the Supreme Court for the first time and that no formal notice had been issued to the parties concerned.

The petition further says that the PTI founder has been medically examined regularly in the past and that a medical board has treated him several times.

The federal government said the court should have decided, after seeking the opinion of medical experts, whether the PTI founder’s health had actually deteriorated.

The petition asks the Supreme Court to review the interim order of 18 August and to withdraw the order concerning the PTI founder’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital.