National ( The cow news digital )
ISLAMABAD — The federal government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its interim order directing the transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital, challenging the ruling as an overreach of judicial authority.
In its petition, the government argued that prisoner medical care is governed by established procedures under the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978. Under these regulations, incarcerated individuals may be moved to public civil or district headquarters hospitals when necessary, but the law provides no provision for transfers to private medical facilities or treatment by privately chosen physicians.
The petition further highlighted procedural issues, noting that the interim order granting final relief was issued during the initial hearing without prior notice to the government. It disputed the court’s assessment of Khan’s health, maintaining that official medical board evaluations contained no findings warranting specialized private care.
Raising legal objections, the government questioned the application of Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, asserting that inherent judicial powers should not interfere with internal prison administration. It cautioned that granting private hospital transfers risks setting an unsustainable precedent that undermines equal treatment across the prison system.
The federal government requested the Supreme Court to review and recall its August 18 interim order.
