Imran's hospital transfer: SC turns down Uzma's application seeking early hearing of contempt plea

Imran's hospital transfer: SC turns down Uzma's application seeking early hearing of contempt plea.

Key points

• Nasir Iqbal Published August 31, 2026 Updated August 31, 2026 01: 36pm.
• The same bench will resume hearing pending cases concerning the ex-premier's health and family meetings on September 16.
• The application had pleaded for the reconsideration of the decision to fix the hearing for Sept 16.
• At the time, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had blamed "the security situation created by PTI workers on the way to and outside" the hospital for the diversion.
• Ignoring Uzma's request for an early hearing, the SC office on Monday repeated its justification that the fixation policy required proceedings to be conducted turn-wise.

Nasir Iqbal Published August 31, 2026 Updated August 31, 2026 01: 36pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday turned down yet another request by Dr Uzma Khan, the sister of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, for swift contempt of court proceedings against administration functionaries for violating the August 18 order direction Imran's transfer to a private hospital.

Notably, the contempt of court petition has already been fixed before a three-judge SC bench, consisting of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, for September 16.

Notably, the same bench will resume hearing pending cases concerning the ex-premier's health and family meetings on September 16. The bench had last heard the pleas on Aug 18 and ordered Imran's transfer to Shifa International Hospital within two days.

It remarked that already 94 different criminal original petitions belonging to the same category were pending before the SC for hearing. It remarked that the fixation policy required that cases be fixed for hearing when it was their turn.

Last week, the SC's registrar office had turned down Uzma's first request for early hearing of the contempt petition. In her second application, filed through Advocate Uzair Karamat Bhandari on August 27, she had stated that the contempt of court petition against the administration functionaries for violating court directions on Imran's transfer to a private hospital was meant to ensure immediate implementation of the Aug 18 order.

In practice, the early hearing will serve the interest of justice, protection of life and health and due enforcement of the SC's Aug 18 orders, the application had contended.

It continued that the subject matter of the petition concerned the life, health, dignity and physical well-being of Imran. This person was a "national hero" and a former prime minister, whose health was deteriorating and whose life was stated to be in jeopardy, the application feared.

Meanwhile, the application had pleaded for the reconsideration of the decision to fix the hearing for Sept 16. According to It further, the reasons set out regarding the fixation policy could not justify such a long delay in the hearing.

In practice, the applicant had pleaded that there was nothing in the case which the SC's fixation policy prevented immediate hearing of the contempt petition. In fact, the fixation policy clearly prioritises liberty-related matters, especially where they arise due to non-compliance with court orders, it remarked.

Uzma's applications came in response to the events which unfolded after SC's order. Despite the court's Aug 18 order stipulating Imran's transfer to the hospital within two days, the administration took the PTI founder to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), a administration hospital, for a check-up and then subsequently transported him back to prison.

At the time, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had blamed "the security situation created by PTI workers on the way to and outside" the hospital for the diversion. The PTI has denied the allegations and accused the administration of deliberately flouting the court's orders.

Taken together, the developments around imran' s hospital transfer: SC turns down Uzma' s application seeking early hearing of point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.