Islamabad, August 25: The contempt petition filed by Uzma Khan, sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been returned by the registrar’s office of Pakistan’s Supreme Court. This petition was submitted in response to allegations of violating a court order issued on August 18.
Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, Gohar Ali Khan, president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stated that the order from August 18 had not been implemented. He mentioned that the party had requested an expedited hearing for the contempt petition.
According to a report by ‘The Express Tribune,’ Gohar Ali Khan revealed that he met with the Supreme Court registrar, who informed him that there were some objections to their petition. Consequently, the contempt petition was returned to them.
He added that the party would address the objections raised by the registrar’s office and resubmit the contempt petition.
On August 22, PTI filed this contempt petition in the Supreme Court, claiming that the order from August 18, which directed the transfer of Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital, had been violated.
On August 18, the Supreme Court had ordered authorities to transfer Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital and arrange for weekly visits with his family.
In the meantime, the Pakistani government has also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court, labeling the court’s order as “discriminatory.”
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. His party, PTI, has described the convictions against him as politically motivated.
Following his removal from power through a no-confidence vote in 2022, multiple cases were filed against Imran Khan, including one related to government gifts and another concerning an alleged illegal marriage.
Last month, UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, expressed concern over the conditions of Imran Khan’s detention and reports of inadequate medical care. She appealed to Pakistan to provide humane conditions for Imran Khan and allow him to consult and receive treatment from a doctor of his choice.
In a post shared on LinkedIn, Edwards stated that Imran Khan has been held in near-total isolation for 33 months. She reported that he is kept in a small, windowless cell and often denied meaningful contact with anyone for more than two consecutive weeks.
Edwards emphasized that Imran Khan’s situation, under 24-hour CCTV surveillance in a small, windowless cell, is far harsher than the “Mandela Rules.”
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