Govt blames PTI for 'violating' SC order, says family committed contempt by issuing statements

Govt blames PTI for 'violating' SC order, notes family committed contempt by issuing statements.

Key points

• News Desk Published August 22, 2026 Updated August 22, 2026 06: 20pm.
• On Tuesday, the SC had ordered the administration to shift Imran to Shifa International Hospital within two days for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board.
• The administration on Thursday filed a fresh review petition against the SC's Aug 18 order.
• "PML-N believes that health issues should not be used for political gain, " Information Minister Attaullah Tarar informed the media.
• The court had additionally ordered that Dr Uzma Khan and Dr Faisal Sultan – Imran's personal physician – be present during the medical examination by the board.

News Desk Published August 22, 2026 Updated August 22, 2026 06: 20pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

In practice, the administration on Saturday blamed the PTI for "violating" a Supreme Court (SC) order by issuing statements and speaking to the media after former prime minister Imran Khan's medical check-up at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Friday.

He continued that, at any given point, whether PML-N was in opposition or in the administration, its stance has remained the same, that politics and health problems should not be linked together.

He accused Imran of issuing statements and releasing videos regarding PML-N leaders' health when they were incarcerated and Imran was PM.

Tarar continued that since the SC order was issued regarding Imran's health, "our government has not mocked him or made any controversial statements".

Recounting the events of the past few days, Tarar remarked that after the SC order was issued, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar expressed the government's stance on it in detail.

"The viewpoint was that whatever will happen, it will be according to the law, " Attaullah Tarar remarked.

He continued that the government's review petition "respectfully questioned if the facility was available to every prisoner". Secondly, he remarked, the petition questioned if the law and constitution allowed for Imran's checkup at a private hospital.

Tarar then went on to expand on the implementation of SC's order.

"The next question is whether there was implementation of the order. The answer is yes. Was the checkup done? Yes. Was it done with transparency? Yes. Was his sister present there? Yes. Were doctors from Shifa present there? Yes. All the obligations were completed."

Tarar additionally discussed the communication of these updates to media and the general public. He remarked that shortly after the administration filed its review petition, law minister shared the petition's grounds in detail.

He further continued that after Imran's checkup was completed at Pims, Tarar himself posted on X to share the update.

Tarar issued the statement hours after Dr Uzma Khan, Imran's sister, approached the SC seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against those responsible for violating its Aug 18 order to shift the incarcerated premier to a private hospital in the federal capital.

Notably, the court had additionally ordered that Dr Uzma Khan and Dr Faisal Sultan – Imran's personal physician – be present during the medical examination by the board. Meanwhile, Imran's family members, PTI members and lawyers associated with him were barred from disclosing his health condition or medical reports to the media or the public until the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the next day, the administration had filed a review plea against the court's order to shift Imran to the private hospital, arguing that the directive was discriminatory and issued in violation of prison rules and principles of natural justice.

Nevertheless, the SC had returned the plea on Thursday with the objection that the contents of the affidavit and facts, along with the review petition filed under Article 188 of the Constitution, had not been properly drawn up and that one of the paper books of was not in order.

Meanwhile, the same night, elaborate arrangements were put in place in and around Shifa International Hospital, and all signs pointed to the PTI founder being brought there, in compliance with SC order.

Nevertheless, it became clear on Friday morning that Imran had been taken to Pims for a check-up and then subsequently transported back to prison.

Meanwhile, the administration on Thursday filed a fresh review petition against the SC's Aug 18 order. The Islamabad chief commissioner again filed the plea, saying that his office had a direct, substantial and legally protected interest in the matter and that the Aug 18 order adversely affected its constitutional authority.

Taken together, the developments around govt blames PTI for ' violating' SC order, says family committed contempt by point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.