Pak accuses PTI over Imran hospital transfer

The Pakistan government accused the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday for transferring former Prime Minister Imran Khan to a state-run hospital instead of a private facility, as ordered by the Supreme Court. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that the presence of numerous PTI supporters outside the private Shifa International Hospital led to the government transferring Khan to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead.

Khan's sister, Uzma Khan, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court the previous day, alleging that the government and senior officials had violated the court's directive to transfer him to the private hospital. The court had ordered Khan to be moved to the private hospital within two days from his high-security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, with the checkup to continue until the next hearing on September 16.

However, Khan was instead taken to PIMS and later returned to jail after being deemed fit by doctors. Tarar asserted that PTI had violated the court order, arguing that its supporters gathered at Shifa Hospital, leading authorities to move Khan elsewhere. He maintained that the government had implemented the court order in full, and that the checkup was carried out transparently with doctors from Shifa Hospital present.

Tarar also criticized lawyers who had made statements against the government regarding Khan's health, warning against politicizing the situation.