Opposition announces sit-in outside Parliament until meeting with Imran Khan allowed

ISLAMABAD:

The opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Thursday announced to hold a sit-in outside the Parliament House until a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his treatment was ensured after his reported vision loss came to light.

The Supreme Court has been informed that only 15% of Imran’s vision remains in his right eye. The information was conveyed to the apex court by PTI counsel Advocate Salman Safdar, who quoted the former premier as saying that he had been left with only 15pc vision in his right eye following medical complications.

The development caused an outcry from the opposition ranks who slammed the government for allowing Imran’s health to deteriorate to this level.

In a post on X today, TTAP chief and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: “A peaceful protest sit-in will begin outside the Parliament House tomorrow. We will present our demands during the sit-in, and it will continue until our demands are met. If something goes wrong in accepting these demands, the government will be responsible.”

While talking to the media, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that all opposition parties had decided that after Friday prayers, all lawmakers would stage a sit-in outside Parliament.

“Our demand is that Imran Khan should be given immediate access to the doctors he trusts. Imran Khan was treated at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) by a doctor who is not a specialist in the required field. Eye problems are very sensitive. If vision is lost, it can also lead to infection, along with fever and headaches,” Abbas said.

An important meeting of the TTAP was also held in Islamabad, with leaders from the opposition alliance in attendance. The meeting, chaired by Achakzai, focused on the health situation of the Khan, and future strategy.

The meeting was attended by prominent figures including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Raja Nasir Abbas, Asad Qaiser, and Ali Amin Gandapur. During the meeting special invitations were extended to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Also Read: Imran Khan’s right eye at 15% vision, SC report details jail conditions

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. In addition, he faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. The party has expressed concern in recent days over Imran’s health and demanded treatment by his own team of doctors.

Raja Nasir to write to foreign bodies about Imran’s health

Earlier, Raja Nasir Abbas, during a Senate session, raised serious concerns over the deteriorating health of Khan, accusing the authorities of failing to provide timely and effective medical care.

In his speech, Abbas said that Khan’s vision has been severely affected, with his right eye functioning at only 15 per cent capacity after a medical procedure at Islamabad’s PIMS hospital earlier this month. He expressed regret that no proper treatment was provided and highlighted the ongoing denial of health services to Khan.

He added that if Khan had been allowed regular meetings with his family, and if medical examinations had been conducted transparently with reports made public, the situation might not have escalated to this point.

The opposition leader emphasised that the state holds the responsibility for the health and safety of any person in custody. “Political differences aside, depriving someone of basic human rights and medical care is unacceptable in any civilised society,” he remarked.

He condemned the delay in treatment, the withholding of information, and the restriction on family access, calling these actions both inhumane and a violation of constitutional and legal duties.

Abbas announced that he would be sending a full report, including evidence and a timeline, to both national and international human rights organisations, as well as to foreign diplomats stationed in Pakistan, in a bid to draw attention to the issue.

Read More: SC orders access to personal physicians, phone calls for Imran Khan in Adiala Jail

“We demand that an independent and transparent medical board be formed immediately, that complete medical records be made public, and that those responsible be held accountable under the law,” he said.

He further stressed that this issue was not just about one individual but about broader principles. “If this can happen to a former prime minister and a popular public leader, what about the rights of an ordinary citizen?” he asked.

Abbas concluded by calling for immediate action to resolve the matter, underlining that it was essential to uphold justice, transparency, and human dignity so that no prisoner ever faces such a situation again.