ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties will begin a peaceful sit-in outside Parliament House from today, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai has announced, setting the stage for a new round of political confrontation in the capital.
The decision was announced by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), late on Thursday.
The sources familiar with the former ruling party said the decision on the sit-in was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders in the capital, adding that the protest would continue until access to the jailed PTI founder is granted and his treatment is ensured to the satisfaction of his party and family.
Speaking to the media late in the evening, Achakzai, who was flanked by Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including party chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Asad Qaiser, said the demonstration would be held outside parliament and would remain peaceful.
He also made it clear that the alliance’s formal demands would be presented publicly at the sit-in itself. “We will present our demands tomorrow (Friday) at the protest,” he said.
The opposition leader added that the sit-in would continue indefinitely until these demands were accepted. He warned that responsibility for any mismanagement or escalation would lie with the government.
“If, God forbid, something bad happens, the government will be responsible,” he said.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), said the protest would begin peacefully on Friday morning.
The sit-in announcement follows consultations among opposition parties, which have decided to gather lawmakers and supporters outside Parliament House, according to sources familiar with the party. Sources further said that members of the National Assembly, Senate and Provincial Assemblies have been given directives to participate in the sit-in, adding that the party’s central leadership would call for the demonstration at the main entrance of the Parliament House.
Imran, who has been in prison since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism after he was removed from power by the opposition in a vote of no confidence in April 2022.
Severe vision loss, report reveals
The protest centers on concerns surrounding jailed Imran, particularly regarding access to him and his medical treatment, especially after a seven-page report submitted to the Supreme Court revealed that he lost approximately 85% of the sight in his right eye.
On February 10, the SC had appointed PTI counsel Salman Safdar as amicus curiae (friend of the court), directing him to meet the jailed former prime minister and submit a report on February 11.
The judicial directions came during the hearing of a case on the PTI founder’s living conditions in Adiala jail by a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and including Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.
Imran experienced persistent blurred vision for months, which he repeatedly brought to the attention of prison authorities, but no action was taken until he suffered a sudden loss of vision, the report revealed.
A specialist from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) eventually diagnosed a blood clot that caused significant damage, the report said. His legal team observed that he was “deeply distressed” by this impairment, noting that for months he received only eye drops that did not improve his condition.
The government committed criminal negligence: Opposition
Reacting to the report on Imran’s medical condition, opposition leaders blasted the government.
Addressing a joint press conference, Senate Leader of Opposition and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan – Opposition Alliance – Vice Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said PTI founder cannot see properly with the 15% vision he has.
Criticizing the authorities, Abbas, who is also the head of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), said: “The government committed criminal negligence.”
He said the state determines the rights of everyone, including the prisoners.
“We have a system where people are not given political and economic rights,” he added.
The Senate Leader of Opposition also blasted the authorities for denying meetings with the PTI founder in jail.
On this occasion, TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar expressed serious concerns over the report of loss of vision in Imran’s right eye.
He urged the authorities to allow meetings between the ailing PTI founder and his family.
Separately, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has raised concerns over the health of the jailed PTI founder, alleging that prison authorities failed to rectify his eye condition promptly.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Aleema said she had inquired about PTI founder’s health from lawyer Salman Safdar. “Today my heart is broken; we did not treat a man who was in prison for two and a half years well,” she said.
Aleema Khan claimed that former Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum had been informed in the last three months about Imran Khan’s eye problem. “For three months he kept saying that he [Imran Khan] couldn’t see,” she said, adding, “They [jail authorities] had seen for two weeks that his [Imran] vision was affected.”
“[…] he [Imran] are in prison today because the judiciary is not independent.”
Aleema also dismissed reports of any possible transfer to Bani Gala, calling them “all lies”, saying that Imran has made it clear that he will not bow down to anyone.
Separately, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja alleged that a criminal offense had been committed against the PTI founder. “A crime has been committed against him and that crime was committed by Abdul Ghafoor Anjum,” he said.
He demanded immediate medical attention from doctors trusted by Imran and his family. “There is no room left now; the people of Pakistan will move forward,” Raja said.
Salman Akram also urged that hearings in Toshakhana and other cases involving the former prime minister be scheduled without delay.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said jail authorities turned a deaf ear to Imran Khan’s repeated complaints about his eye infection.
“The PTI founder was taken to the hospital without taking his personal doctor into confidence,” CM Afridi said, adding that the former prime minister was given an injection at the hospital without consulting his family and personal doctor.
