Opposition parties on Friday decided to approach the Supreme Court over what they described as the government’s failure to implement its order concerning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s medical treatment, while reaffirming plans for a full-fledged protest and long march on September 27. The decision was taken at a meeting of opposition parliamentary parties chaired by National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai at Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. Senator Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Asad Qaiser, K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, among other leaders, attended the meeting. According to a statement issued after the meeting, participants expressed “deep concern” over Imran’s health and reiterated that no compromise would be made on his medical treatment. The opposition leaders accused the government of staging a “drama” over Imran’s health and maintained that failure to implement Supreme Court decisions amounted to contempt of court. The meeting decided that the opposition would approach the Supreme Court on Saturday to seek implementation of its order concerning Imran’s medical treatment. The participants also reaffirmed their decision to hold a “full-fledged” protest and long march on September 27 and agreed to invite all opposition parties to join the demonstration. The meeting further agreed to accelerate the public mobilisation campaign in Punjab and across the country and vowed to continue their joint struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law. The participants agreed that all political and parliamentary decisions would be taken through mutual consultation. The meeting also endorsed the Grand Opposition Alliance and agreed to make it more active. The participants welcomed the possible participation of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other political parties in the alliance, saying a broader opposition alliance would strengthen the opposition’s voice in Parliament. Wasting opportunity to ease political tensions is 'tantamount to treason': Achakzai Achakzai said wasting opportunities to ease Pakistan’s political crisis was "tantamount to treason against this country,” criticising the government’s handling of Imran’s transfer to hospital. The statement came following the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s statement that Imran had not been admitted to Shifa International Hospital, as had been expected following the SC’s order, but had instead been taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for examination before being returned to Adiala jail. Addressing the media at Parliament House alongside PTI lawmakers and senior leadership, Achakzai said, “There was hope, and we were thinking, ‘better late than never’.” He further said wasting such opportunities amounted to “treason against this country.” “Whether anyone accepts it or not, Imran Khan’s is Pakistan’s most popular party, and we all know that he is currently a prisoner of conscience who is standing firm on his principles. Imran Khan has not broken,” he said. He added that the SC had taken notice of reports about Imran’s health, including his blood pressure and eye problems, and ordered his transfer to Shifa. Achakzai stated that PTI had fully cooperated with the decision and had announced across the country that no crowds would gather outside the hospital and that there would be no slogans, disorder or political gatherings. “If Imran Khan had remained in a hospital bed instead of a prison cell for a week and doctors had properly examined him, what would have happened?” he questioned. "ان حالات میں ایسے مواقع کو ضائع کرنا اس ملک سے غداری کے مترادف ہے۔ کوئی مانے یا نہ مانے، پاکستان کی مقبول ترین جماعت عمران خان کی ہے اور ہم سب جانتے ہیں کہ وہ اس وقت ضمیر کے قیدی ہیں، جو اپنے اصولوں پر ڈٹے ہوئے ہیں۔ عمران خان ٹوٹا نہیں۔ عمران خان نے کہا ہے کہ ان کے ساتھ محمد… pic.twitter.com/UfZRytF0bU — Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) August 21, 2026 He further said he had been pleased when he heard during the night that Imran had reached hospital, believing he would remain there for at least a day or two for treatment. “However, in the morning, I found out that the situation had deteriorated further,” he said. Achakzai also said Imran had told his sister that he was being treated like former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and “being kept in isolation and subjected to torture.” He added that the opposition’s disagreement was not personal, “neither with any soldier nor with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif nor Nawaz Sharif.” “Our disagreement is only with those forces that do not accept the supremacy of the Constitution and an independent judiciary in Pakistan, and those who do not arrange bread and water for the poor people,” he added. He said the opposition would only respond through peaceful political activity, adding that the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) and its allied parties stood “100% in solidarity” with PTI. “The good thing is that important progress is now being made towards forming a ‘united opposition’, for which we are all working,” he added. Achakzai further said the alliance aimed to help the country emerge from its current crisis and move towards a genuinely democratic system. “The only way to save Pakistan is for the source of power to be Parliament alone, for the judiciary to be completely independent within its domain, and for there to be no restrictions on journalism,” he added. Salman Akram Raja says contempt of court will be filed Salman Akram Raja, earlier speaking to reporters at Parliament House, said that the party would file a contempt of court petition over the government’s failure to implement the SC order directing the transfer of party founder Imran Khan to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital, and accusing the authorities of refusing to accept the court’s decision. He further said the SC had ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital, but “the Supreme Court’s decision was not accepted”. “The medical board that the SC had ordered to be constituted was never formed,” Raja said. Raja said the party would submit the contempt petition on Saturday, adding that PTI had already announced it would take to the streets. He said PTI’s political and parliamentary committees were meeting on Friday to decide the party’s future course of action. The secretary general criticised the response to Imran’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan's press conference detailing her account of last night's proceedings, which was being portrayed as being against the SC’s decision. Earlier Raja, in a post on X, disputed the government’s claim that security concerns and disruptions around Shifa International Hospital had prevented Imran Khan from being taken there, saying the roads leading to the hospital were not closed because of any rush. ڈاکٹر فیصل سلطان کو سیاہ شیشوں والی گاڑی میں پولیس کی گاڑیوں کے گھیرے میں شفا انٹرنیشنل ہسپتال پہنچایا گیا۔ شفا انٹرنیشنل تک کی سڑکیں ہرگز کسی رش کی وجہ سے بند نہ تھیں۔ https://t.co/T1flUTit9u — salman akram raja (@salmanAraja) August 21, 2026 Raja said Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, had himself been taken to Shifa in a vehicle with tinted windows and surrounded by police vehicles. “The roads to Shifa International were by no means closed because of any rush,” he said. The statement came after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s explanation that Imran had been taken to PIMS instead of Shifa “in view of the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa Hospital”. Tarar had said Imran was examined at PIMS in the presence of doctors from Shifa and was later declared medically fit. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazl Chaudhry had also cited an “unusual rush and security situation” outside Shifa as the reason for moving Imran to PIMS. Barrister Gohar questions path to talks with govt Earlier today, Gohar Ali Khan also questioned how political negotiations could move forward after the government failed to implement a SC order directing the transfer of Imran to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital. Speaking to reporters outside before the National Assembly session, Gohar said the government’s handling of Imran’s transfer to PIMS, instead of Shifa, had undermined PTI’s efforts to resolve political issues through dialogue. “What happened was very unfortunate. We did not expect this. There is someone who does not want any solution to the problems. We made a great effort,” he told reporters outside Parliament before the National Assembly session. Gohar said the SC’s order was clear and required Imran to be shifted to a hospital, kept there and undergo the necessary medical tests. “If there had been any ambiguity in it, a review could have been sought. There was no ambiguity in the SC’s order,” he said. He said the PTI had been assured that the order would be implemented and that he had personally checked on the arrangements. “There was absolutely no expectation that he would be shifted to another hospital, or which hospital he would be shifted to, or that it would not even be told which hospital he had been shifted to,” Gohar said. He questioned what tests had been conducted on Imran, what the PTI founder had said during the examination and why his family had been left waiting for information. “But the Supreme Court’s order has been violated,” he said. Responding to the prime minister’s offer of talks, Gohar said the PTI had continued to seek a political solution but criticised the manner in which the government had approached dialogue. “You do not shake hands like this. Negotiations do not happen like this,” he said. He then questioned how democracy could function if the government could not provide a major political party with space or comply with an SC order. “If you are not giving such a major leader and such a major party this much space, and if it is difficult to shift him to a hospital, and if it is difficult to implement an order of the Supreme Court, then democracy does not work like this,” he said. Later, speaking in the National Assembly, Gohar warned that the PTI could reconsider its participation in Parliament. “Perhaps you do not want us to remain part of this system,” he said. “Perhaps after a few days, we will no longer be part of this assembly.” He added that the party would decide within a few days whether it would continue its participation in the assembly. Later in the session, Achakzai also said there had been widespread jubilation across the country after it became known that Imran was being shifted to Shifa International Hospital in accordance with the SC’s orders. “But at night, we found out that, under the cover of darkness, the PTI founder had been taken to another hospital,” Achakzai said. He also alleged that Imran’s sister had been confined to another room at the hospital. Achakzai said the episode raised concerns about elements within the government potentially working to undermine relations between the PTI and the government. “If there are such elements in our government who are sabotaging matters between the Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government,” he said. He said that whenever an atmosphere conducive to dialogue is created, unknown forces come in and sabotage it. Imran taken to PIMS, not Shifa Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that the PTI founder had been taken to PIMS, rather than Shifa International Hospital, for a medical examination, with doctors from Shifa also present. Tarar said Imran had been taken to hospital during the night of August 20 and 21 under “appropriate security arrangements” in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order. He said Imran was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa “in view of the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa Hospital”. The clarification came after information emerged late on Thursday night that Imran was being transferred from Adiala jail to Shifa shortly after midnight following the Supreme Court’s order. He was taken via Chakri, while heavy police contingents were deployed around Shifa and several roads leading to the hospital were temporarily closed with barbed wire. The Islamabad police chief and senior officers were also present outside the hospital. Tarar said the medical examination was conducted at PIMS, where doctors from Shifa were also present. A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, conducted a detailed examination and declared Imran medically fit, he said. Imran’s sister, Uzma Khan, remained present throughout the medical examination and treatment process, Tarar said, adding that the PTI founder was transferred back to Adiala jail at approximately 5am on Friday. SC orders Imran’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment On Tuesday, SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier's blood pressure. A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran's access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record. The court further ordered that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist along with Dr Sultan. His sister, Dr Uzma, will also be associated with the newly established medical board, according to the order. The SC directed that Imran’s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital. The court also instructed Imran’s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential. “We assure the court that the medical report will remain completely confidential,” Raja said. The court further directed that no political activity, media talks or press conferences be held outside the hospital. Read more: Govt calls SC order to shift Imran to private hospital 'discriminatory', files review petition “Do not engage in politics outside the hospital,” Justice Afghan said. “There are other patients in the hospital,” he added, stressing that other patients should not be affected. Raja and PTI Parliamentary Secretary Shahid Khattak assured the court that no political activity would take place outside the hospital. “Our political activities will remain completely separate,” Raja said. The court also directed that arrangements be made for Imran to have telephone conversations with his children. The SC ordered that Imran’s medical reports not be used for political purposes. The court warned that the order could be withdrawn if its directives were violated, while allowing the government and other parties to approach the court if they believed the orders were not being implemented.