Govt files review plea against SC ruling to move Imran to Shifa International Hospital

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking a review and recall of the SC order to shift incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan to Islamabad’s Shifa Inte­rn­ati­onal Hospital for medical examination and treatment. The government’s review petition, filed through the Islamabad chief commissioner a day after the SC’s ruling, termed the interim order “discriminatory”. The petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that the order was “in excess of jurisdiction” and, therefore, “liable to be reviewed”. The plea further stated that the order “suffers from errors of law floating on the surface of the record”. The petition further contended that Rule 197 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, which deals with the transfer of prisoners to Civil Hospitals in case of serious illness, had “escaped notice” of the court, “resulting into an error which is floating on the surface of the record”. In that context, the petition stated that if the court had taken note of Rule 197, the order could not have been passed and “merits to be reviewed”. More to follow