• Govt says it has filed review petition again.
• Sanaullah says govt remains bound by law.
• Questions private hospital transfers for prisoners.
  

There is no deadline for shifting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to a hospital, Prime Minister’s aide Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday, as the government awaits the Supreme Court’s order on its review petition.

Talking to journalists at the Parliament House in Islamabad, Senator Sanaullah, who holds the portfolio of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, said before transferring the former premier, the government’s review petition should be decided first.

“There is no deadline for transferring the PTI founder to a hospital […] the government has again filed the review petition and expects a decision ‘today or tomorrow’,” Sanaullah said.

“Let the decision on the review petition filed by the government come. This will make things clear,” he said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Imran to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital within two days, with the deadline set to expire tonight, but the government filed a review plea, saying that such an order “could not have been passed” had the court noted certain statutory provisions.

Sanaullah said the government is bound by the Constitution and law, while maintaining that the Supreme Court’s decision is binding on subordinate courts.

He said the government is clear that the Supreme Court’s decision would affect the criminal justice system.

“Will every prisoner then be transferred to a private hospital?” the PML-N stalwart asked, adding that subordinate courts would otherwise have no grounds for refusing such requests.

He said the government is required to respect the court’s decision.

Sanaullah also referred to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s case, saying he had been taken from prison to a government services hospital.

He said a medical board had recommended that Nawaz receive treatment abroad, following which the government granted permission for his treatment overseas.

Imran, 73, has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated. Since his ouster in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple legal cases.

Treatment aborad

Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that if the treatment required by PTI founder Imran Khan was not available at a government hospital, he would be sent to Shifa International Hospital, adding that the government was bound to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision.

Speaking during a Senate session, he said a decision could also be taken regarding Imran’s travel abroad for treatment.

Chaudhry said the government had stated in the House that it would implement the Supreme Court’s decision in its entirety and remained committed to that position.

He said the government had approached the Supreme Court only to seek clarification on whether the decision applied to one prisoner or was intended to apply permanently to all prisoners. He said the government had raised the issue in relation to around 8,000 prisoners.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas said a positive atmosphere was emerging following the Supreme Court’s decision, adding that the government and opposition had been moving closer and the situation was improving.

He expressed hope that the Supreme Court’s decision would be implemented on Thursday, saying the government was bound to comply with the court’s order.