The opposition announces a sit-in outside parliament until the meeting with Imran Khan is allowed

ISLAMABAD:

The opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) announced on Thursday to hold a sit-in outside the Parliament House until a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his treatment secured after his reported sight 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 disclosed to the apex court by PTI’s counsel, Advocate Salman Safdar, who quoted the former prime minister as saying that he had been left with only 15 per cent. vision in his right eye after medical complications.

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

Speaking 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 Parliament House tomorrow. We will present our demands during the sit-in and it will continue until our demands are met. If anything goes wrong in accepting these demands, the government will be responsible.”

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

“Our demand is that Imran Khan should have immediate access to the doctors he trusts. Imran Khan was treated at the 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 headache,” says Abbas.

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 Khan’s health situation and the future strategy.

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

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

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala prison in a £190m corruption case. In addition, he faces pending legal proceedings under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests on 9 May 2023. The party has in recent days expressed concern 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, during a Senate session, Raja Nasir Abbas raised serious concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health and accused the authorities of failing to provide timely and effective medical care.

In his speech, Abbas said Khan’s vision has been severely affected, with his right eye functioning at only 15 percent following 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 care to Khan.

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

The opposition leader emphasized that the state is responsible for the health and safety of any person in custody. “Political differences aside, depriving anyone of basic human rights and medical treatment is unacceptable in any civilized society,” he noted.

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

Abbas announced that he would send a full report, including evidence and a timeline, to both national and international human rights organizations, as well as to foreign diplomats stationed in Pakistan, in an effort to raise awareness of the issue.

Read more: SC orders access to personal doctors, phone calls to Imran Khan in Adiala jail

“We demand the immediate formation of an independent and transparent medical board, the release of full medical records and the holding of those responsible to the full extent of the law,” he said.

He further emphasized that this issue was not just about one person, 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 case, stressing the importance of maintaining justice, transparency and human dignity so that no prisoner ever faces such a situation again.