ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar on Tuesday said that the government will approach the Supreme Court for a review of its decision to shift Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital.
In a video statement, Tarar said consultations had also been held on other aspects of the court’s order, adding that some points of the court order are related to the jail authority and the Islamabad administration.
He questioned whether the Supreme Court’s directions regarding the treatment of the PTI founder would apply to all prisoners facing health-related issues in jails.
“There are many prisoners in jails who have health problems,” the law minister said, adding that sentenced prisoners were provided medical treatment at government hospitals in accordance with the law.
Tarar said the government would request the Supreme Court to modify its order and direct that Imran Khan be medically examined at a government hospital. He added that, in accordance with the court’s directions, medical experts from any relevant institution could be included in the medical board.
The law minister said the established legal procedure required a medical board to determine whether a prisoner could be treated inside the jail or needed to be shifted to a hospital.
“If the board recommends treatment outside the jail, the prisoner is taken to a government hospital,” he said.
Tarar maintained that shifting a prisoner to a private hospital without evidence that the required treatment was unavailable at government facilities could create legal and administrative complications.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said that the government will implement the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the transfer of Imran Khan to the hospital.
He added that after today’s decision, the PTI should be confident that the courts are doing justice. He said the Prime Minister does not have the executive authority to speak against the decisions of the courts.
Imran Khan’s transfer to hospital
The development came a few hours after the Supreme Court ordered relevant authorities to transfer incarcerated Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital and allow meetings with his family members.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, issued the written order on several petitions seeking Imran’s hospitalisation and his meetings with family members.
The petitioners included Imran’s sister Dr Uzma Khan, his lawyer Uzair Bhandari, and PTI leader Mashal Yousafzai.
The order stated that “the prisoner [Imran Khan] shall be shifted to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, within the next two days.”
As per the order, the court directed the concerned authorities to constitute a “medical board comprising a physician, a general surgeon, a specialist in internal medicine, an eye specialist, and a cardiologist” for the medical examination and treatment of the prisoner.
Moreover, the court also ordered the government and relevant officers to facilitate meetings between Imran Khan and his family members once a week. The jail authorities were also directed to facilitate telephone conversations between Imran Khan and his sons twice a week.
