Law minister signals review as cabinet colleague vows to honour SC’s Imran hospital order

An apparent split was seen in the ranks of the federal government on Tuesday over the Supreme Court's order about former premier Imran Khan, with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar saying the government would review it while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal said the government would honour the instructions. The Supreme Court ordered Imran’s transfer to the private hospital for treatment following a hearing on a medical board report and a report submitted by the Adiala jail superintendent on Monday. The reports recommended more frequent meetings between the PTI founder and his immediate family and wife to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, while also highlighting concerns about his health. Tarar described the Supreme Court’s order to transfer Imran to Shifa International Hospital for treatment as being “beyond the legal parameters”, saying the government had decided to approach the court for a review and appropriate modification of the order in accordance with the law. Read More: PTI leaders welcome SC order for Imran Khan’s hospital transfer In a video statement, Tarar said consultations had been held on certain aspects of the order relating to the jail authorities and Islamabad administration, including the direction for Imran to undergo a medical check-up at Shifa International Hospital within two days. “After reviewing the law, the authorities are of the view that this order does not fall within the legal parameters governing the facilities that can be provided to a convicted person in jail under the law,” he said. He said it had therefore been proposed that the government approach the Supreme Court through a review petition and request an appropriate modification of the order so that Imran could be examined at a tertiary-care government hospital. However, Tarar said medical experts or specialists from other major institutions could be included in the medical board, in accordance with the court’s directions or as the court deemed appropriate. Raising concerns over shifting a prisoner to a private hospital, the minister said allowing such arrangements for medical check-ups could have wider implications for the country’s prison population. “If prisoners are taken to private hospitals for such medical check-ups, there are thousands of prisoners across Pakistan facing various complications and illnesses,” he said. Tarar said the law provided for the formation of a medical board to determine whether a prisoner’s treatment should be conducted inside or outside the jail. “The law provides that a board will first be constituted, and the board will determine whether the treatment should be provided inside the jail or outside it. If a prisoner has to be taken outside the jail, such facilities are available at government hospitals in every case. Until evidence or material shows that government hospitals are incapable of providing the required treatment, such an arrangement cannot be made,” he said. Tarar said it was also important to determine whether the court’s order would apply to the entire prison population or whether it would not be used in other cases. He said the legal team had also discussed other legal aspects of the matter. “There are further legal points that the legal team has discussed. To remove this ambiguity and seek appropriate modifications so that the order remains within the proper legal parameters, the government is approaching the Supreme Court,” he said. Moreover, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the Supreme Court’s decision contained legal loopholes and criticised the PTI for celebrating the ruling, accusing the party of being “double-faced”. “We believe that there are many loopholes in the SC decision and things which can be improved. We are not against giving anyone proper medical treatment and even before, the founder of PTI was given security and access to his family,” Chaudhry said while talking to a private television channel. He remarked that PTI had “eaten the sweets a bit too early”. Chaudhry further said that PTI’s double face had been exposed, as those who used to earlier question the system and the judiciary and who were now celebrating and rejoicing at the decision of the Supreme Court. Responding to a question on why Imran’s sisters were not allowed to meet him, Chaudhry responded that the Supreme Court decision showed that there was a system in place in Pakistan and tactics such as arm-twisting, blocking streets, dictation, resignations, dissolving assemblies and orchestrating events such as 26 November and 9th May did not work. “Only jail authorities and courts could make these meetings with Imran happen, and it is a good sign that they went to the court, which also shows that the justice system is functioning,” he stated. The minister said that the system remained in place and the PTI, which earlier said that it didn’t accept the 26th and 27th Amendments, was now hailing the decision of the same judges as a beacon of hope and as a victory. He said that as long as the pairing of the government and the state, and that of the prime minister and field marshal, was intact, there was “no space for any conspiracy or backstabbing against the government”. “I am inside this system, and I can say with conviction and certitude that only hypocrites hatch conspiracies. These two are very clear about their objectives and have risen above themselves, which is why Pakistan has secured diplomatic and economic success and improved its standing and image on the world stage,” the minister said. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticised the PTI and its founder over the Supreme Court’s order, saying the party’s reaction reflected its desire to secure an NRO for its leader. In a message posted on X, Asif said the PTI’s “desire” to secure an NRO for its leader had reached new heights. “Today, one of PTI’s countless ‘founders’ received extraordinary relief from the esteemed judiciary, and the way the entire party celebrated this decision reflects its intense yearning to somehow get their disqualified leader out of jail by any means,” he said. تحریکِ انصاف کی اپنے قائد کے لیے این آر او حاصل کرنے کی خواہش اب نئی بلندیوں کو چھو رہی ہے۔ آج پی ٹی آئی کے بے شمار ’’بانیوں‘‘ میں سے ایک بانی کو معزز عدلیہ کی جانب سے غیر معمولی ریلیف ملا، اور جس انداز میں پوری جماعت نے اس فیصلے پر جشن منایا، وہ اس کی اس شدید خواہش کی عکاسی کرتا… — Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 18, 2026 Referring to Imran's earlier statements, Asif said the same individual had previously demanded that other politicians be imprisoned and that their conditions in jail be made harsher, calling the PTI’s reaction an “ironic U-turn”. “Perhaps no greater U-turn of irony is possible than this: the very person who was once portrayed as an invincible, self-made ‘Iron Man’ now has his entire party desperately pleading to have him transferred from jail to a hospital,” he said. The defence minister said medical treatment in hospitals had always been available, adding that he had no objection to Imran being provided with immediate, effective and complete medical facilities. “However, before celebrating judicial decisions, PTI must certainly address the clear contradictions in its own narrative,” he said. Asif described the development as “the revenge of nature”, saying, “Today, even the Margalla Hills loom taller than the Himalayan mountains of arrogance.” He also extended his wishes for Imran’s recovery, saying he sincerely prayed that Allah would grant the PTI founder healing from all ailments. Split in PML-N ranks However, earlier in the day, senior PML-N leaders offered a different perspective on the matter, describing the decision as merit-based and saying it would be implemented in letter and spirit. Speaking in the Senate, Fazal said the Supreme Court’s decision was in line with the government’s position, which it had repeatedly conveyed to the PTI — that the only way forward on Imran’s release and other legal matters was through the courts. “The decision announced by the Supreme Court today regarding Imran’s health fully supports the government’s position. First of all, I would like to make it clear that the decision will be implemented in letter and spirit,” he said. Fazal said the prime minister had no executive authority to release a prisoner who had been sentenced by the courts, while citing cases in which PML-N leaders had also been released by court orders. He urged the PTI to recognise that the courts were the only forum through which a way forward could be found. The PML-N leader also condemned what he described as the PTI’s insulting remarks against the judiciary, saying such language should not be used. “If the judiciary gives a decision in your favour, you praise it, but if it gives a decision against you, you use such language against the judges that perhaps cannot even be repeated in Parliament or the media,” he said. Separately, Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah termed the Supreme Court’s order a merit-based ruling, saying the PTI had rightly approached the courts to pursue its case through the “right forum”. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Sanaullah said the ruling had been made independently by the court and on the merits of the case. “PTI pursued its case before the right forum, so the Supreme Court has given its decision according to the merits of the case. We also respect the Supreme Court’s decision,” he said. He said the PTI had taken too long to approach the courts, arguing that pursuing legal remedies would have been a more appropriate course of action from the outset. “Instead of resorting to agitation from the outset and laying siege to jails through unlawful means, if they had pursued the matter through the courts in accordance with the law, they could have received this relief earlier as well,” he said. He added that PTI was pleased with the ruling and was praising the courts, but argued that the party should similarly respect judicial decisions when they did not go in its favour. Asked about negotiations with the PTI, Sanaullah said the prime minister had been offering talks for a long time, but the opposition had yet to give a positive response. On the debate over the creation of new provinces, he said the PML-N had so far neither held a meeting nor formed a position on the matter. “Personally, I believe this is a debate in the media merely for the sake of debate. The proper forums for this matter are the provincial assemblies and Parliament,” he said. Sanaullah added that whenever a member or political party raised the issue in an assembly, the government would present its position accordingly.