Sheikh Waqas warns govt of contempt petition over Imran’s hospital shift

Pakistan's Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party claims the government's move to transfer their founder, Imran Khan, to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead of Shifa International Hospital, despite court orders, constitutes a "preplanned" contempt of court. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC) directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between Imran Khan and his family while he was being treated at Shifa.

In response, the government filed a review petition before the SC, calling the court's order "discriminatory in nature". PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that the government's decision to transfer Imran Khan to PIMS is premeditated, complaining that the government and Punjab authorities acted deliberately to violate the court's order.

Akram accused the authorities of hiding the truth by alleging security concerns and a large crowd at Shifa, while he argued that there were no such crowds that could have caused any security issues. He announced that PTI will file a contempt of court application, calling for protests in the assemblies and meetings. However, parliamentary affairs minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry suggested security concerns were the primary reason for the shift, stating that security clearance could not be obtained due to the presence of media personnel and party workers.

Chaudhry also rejected the idea that the government had defied the court's directives or politicized the situation.