Uzma Khan Contempt Petition Rejected for Early Hearing by SC

Islamabad– (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Supreme Court has turned down a request tied to the Uzma Khan contempt petition, which asked for an urgent hearing in the case linked to her brother Imran Khan’s hospital transfer. Court sources confirmed the decision on Monday, saying the matter will still be heard on its already fixed date.

Dr Uzma Khan is the sister of PTI founder Imran Khan. She had filed the original contempt plea on August 25, after the government moved the former prime minister to Pims for a medical check-up instead of Shifa International Hospital, as the court had earlier ordered.

The case is now set to be heard on September 16. A three-member bench will handle the matter. It includes Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Justice Shakil Ahmed.

But Dr Uzma did not stop there. She filed a fresh application, this time asking the court to hear the contempt case sooner. In her plea, she said her brother’s health was getting worse inside jail. She called the issue too serious to wait.

Court sources, however, said the request could not be accepted. They explained that the contempt case already had a scheduled date. Cases, they added, are usually taken up in order, based on court policy.

There is also a bigger backlog to consider. Sources revealed that around 94 contempt petitions are currently pending before the Supreme Court. This makes it harder for any single case to jump the queue, even one involving a former prime minister.

The dispute traces back to an order passed on August 18. In that order, the Supreme Court had clearly directed authorities to shift Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital for treatment.

That instruction, though, was not fully followed. Khan was instead taken to Pims. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later said doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present at Pims during the visit.

This explanation did little to calm tensions. PTI strongly criticized the move, calling it a clear violation of the Supreme Court’s order. The party insists the directive was specific and should have been followed exactly.

The government sees it differently. Officials have defended the decision, saying it was based purely on security concerns at the time. They argue safety, not defiance, guided the choice of hospital.

Adding another layer to the story, the federal government filed a review petition just a day after the original August 18 order. That petition was returned by the registrar’s office, which raised certain objections.

Later, the Islamabad chief commissioner also stepped in. A separate plea was filed, requesting an early hearing of the government’s review petition against the court’s order.

Imran Khan has been behind bars since August 2023. He and his party have repeatedly called the cases against him politically driven. His legal troubles began soon after his removal from power in April 2022, following a no-confidence vote.

For now, all eyes remain on September 16. That is when the Supreme Court will finally take up the contempt case tied to Khan’s hospital transfer and decide what comes next.