I promise we will not topple the government if relations with Imran improve: Abbas

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas on Monday demanded the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to deal with issues related to the meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, promising that the government would not be toppled if it improved relations with the former prime minister.

Imran has been jailed since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala prison in a £190m corruption case. In addition, he faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act for the protests on 9 May 2023. His party has intensified calls for his release after a medical report submitted to the court said the vision in his right eye had decreased to 15%, while the government maintains he is receiving the best care.

Speaking during today’s Senate meeting, Abbas said: “You fix things with the PTI founder. I promise I will not let your government fall.”

He said the holy month of Ramazan was a time of repentance and reconciliation. Expressing concern over reports about Imran’s eye condition, he said the matter had been under discussion and had caused unrest among lawmakers.

“We staged a protest sit-in at Parliament House,” Abbas said, adding that Parliament’s doors had been locked. “Let’s create a tradition of peaceful protest. Locking Parliament and imprisoning parliamentarians – isn’t this an insult to Parliament?” he asked.

Abbas reiterated the demand for proper medical treatment for the PTI founder. He said that Imran had spent his time in prison reading the translation and exegesis of the Holy Quran. He also alleged that cases against Imran were fabricated and claimed that his sisters were not allowed to meet him.

He further said that Imran should receive another injection as part of his medical treatment and called for the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to facilitate meetings with him.

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More to follow.