Pakistan’s PTI seeks contempt action over jailed Imran Khan’s hospital move

What the report says

Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a contempt petition against the government over the handling of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s hospital visit, according to Al Jazeera’s report published on 22 August 2026. PTI officials say authorities took Khan to a state-run hospital for a medical check-up and then sent him back to Adiala jail, rather than moving him to the private hospital named in a court order.

The party’s legal adviser, Naeem Panjutha, said the petition seeks action against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other officials. PTI also argues that Khan was not allowed to meet his personal physician and that the government failed to follow the top court’s instructions. A three-judge bench had ordered Khan’s transfer from jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for examination after repeated concerns about his health.

Government officials said the check-up at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences was arranged because of security concerns at the private hospital, and they said the evaluation did not show a condition needing urgent treatment. Khan’s supporters gathered in Islamabad during the episode, while the party said the dispute could increase pressure on the government and shape preparations for a planned protest on 27 September.

More broadly, Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 amid a series of legal cases that he and PTI describe as politically driven. His detention has remained a major source of tension in Pakistan, especially given his continued popularity and the role of the military in his removal from office.