ISLAMABAD (MNN); The Supreme Court on Friday raised objections to an application seeking the transfer of PTI founder Imran Khan from jail to a hospital for medical treatment.
The plea was filed on February 25 by PTI lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa under Order XXXV Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules 2025, following the former prime minister’s government-facilitated follow-up treatment for his eye condition.
Khosa, along with PTI counsel Naeem Panjotha, appeared before Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, requesting that the application be scheduled for hearing. However, the chief justice informed them that the application had been returned with objections a day earlier.
He told the lawyers that their petitions would remain pending until further orders, adding that there was currently no valid application before the court on which proceedings could take place.
Khosa argued that the PTI legal team had sought an early hearing and maintained that the court had earlier ordered Imran Khan’s medical treatment. In response, the chief justice clarified that no such order had been issued by the court and that it was the government which had provided assurances regarding treatment. He advised counsel to review the court’s decision, noting that the health matter was not pending before the apex court.
Khosa said the request for transfer was made on humanitarian grounds rather than legal or political considerations. The chief justice replied that the recent medical check-up had also been conducted on humanitarian grounds.
Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan remarked during the exchange that he understood Khosa’s arguments, while the chief justice directed him to approach the Supreme Court registrar regarding the objections. He added that if a copy of the objections was not provided, the matter could be brought back before the court.
Khosa questioned how the order had been issued without informing them.
According to a source, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also met the chief justice and requested the former premier’s transfer to a hospital, citing concerns raised by his family and party over his health. He was reportedly informed that the Supreme Court would not intervene while related matters remained pending before the Islamabad High Court.
Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, has been under medical attention after being diagnosed in late January with right central retinal vein occlusion. A doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences confirmed that he was brought to the hospital on February 24 for follow-up treatment. PTI, however, criticised what it termed secrecy surrounding the medical visit.
The application, which named the Islamabad district election commissioner as respondent in connection with the Toshakhana case in which Imran was arrested on August 5, 2023, requested the court to immediately shift him to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for specialised retinal treatment.
It also sought permission for his personal physicians, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Aasim Yusuf, to be associated with his medical examination and treatment.
In the plea, Khosa highlighted that Imran Khan is 73 years old and argued that his advancing age and health condition were matters of serious concern for both his family and the public. He contended that conducting medical examinations without informing the family or independent doctors had created apprehensions.
