Parliamentarians from opposition parties, under the banners of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), continued their sit in at Parliament House and KP House in Islamabad on Saturday, demanding that Imran Khan be immediately moved to a hospital for treatment.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) was informed that PTI founder Imran Khan’s right eye had only 15 percent vision remaining. The TTAP announced the sit in outside Parliament House on Friday following the update.

The sit-in started after Friday prayers and continued overnight. Participants in the sit-in are demanding that PTI founder Imran Khan be moved to Shifa International Hospital.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a post on X that the sit in had entered its second day. He added, “We also remained inside Parliament House the entire night,” and that the PTI and TTAP leadership was “exhausted from hunger.” Akram claimed, “The police did not allow dinner at night and now breakfast in the morning to be taken inside.”

TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar attempted to deliver breakfast to protesting members from the rear side of Parliament House but was stopped by police. He wrote on X: “Outside the parliament to deliver food and water to friends inside. Wouldn’t mind not being let in but the refusal to let food and water go in is highly insensitive. There’s no other name for this heartless behaviour but ‘yazidiat’.”

 

The protest is led by TTAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and other leaders, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Ali Zafar, Asad Qaiser, and Junaid Akbar.

PTI leader Shandana Gulzar said, “It was unfortunate that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi gave four days to have Imran examined by a team of doctors. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister is staging a sit-in at KP House and protesting against the government’s unjust behaviour. We are demanding that Imran Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital.” She added, “The police had manhandled the parliamentarians and other leaders of the opposition.”

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said, “Respected members of Parliament and provincial assemblies were dragged. Making a mockery of democracy, playing around with the Constitution and going against Islam are the actions of this government. The fake forced government had gone mad in the fire of revenge.” He called for immediate release of all detained leaders and blamed the government for anarchy in Balochistan and KP.

Awaam Pakistan leaders joined the sit-in. Dr Zafar Mirza, the party’s central spokesperson, represented the party at Parliament House. He said, “The supremacy of the Constitution and the protection of democratic values are our top priorities. The Islamabad police and administration have turned the Red Zone into a prison. The government has placed barriers on all routes leading to KP House.”

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi urged protesters to remain peaceful. He said on X, “Imran Khan sahib’s health is more important to me than politics. I will neither engage in politics myself over his health nor allow anyone else to do so.”

Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum criticised the Supreme Court (SC), saying in a post on X, “The order should have been for Imran Khan to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital. Emergency orders for his immediate examination and treatment by specialist doctors under supervision of his personal doctors. Since CJP didn’t give a court order for Imran Khan’s treatment, people will have to support us to ensure there is enough pressure on the [government], so they will allow him to be treated at Shifa International Hospital.”

PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan said, “PM Imran Khan must be given immediate access to qualified doctors and medical facilities in Shifa International Hospital Islamabad to save the vision in his eye. Every moment being delayed is criminal.”

Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, said in a video statement, “This is obviously a matter of grave concern, but also lends great importance to the timeliness of treatment. In addition to timely and urgent treatment, it is crucially important that such treatment may be delivered by specialists in the field of retinal surgery.”

 

He stated: “One such institution is the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, which is a joint internationally certified hospital. I believe that they do have the right infrastructure and the specialists to be able to provide this care at high quality and at excellence, which is to ensure that Mr Khan receives the care that he requires at this time.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said, “There is no need to deal with it politically; it is a medical issue. Wherever he (Imran) wants to go for a check-up, he will be taken. If he wants to go to Al-Shifa Eye Trust, then he will be taken there. There will be no negligence in the matter”.

“If the CJP recommends a doctor, he will be taken there.” Chaudhry added. 

 

He called on the opposition to refrain from politicising the issue. “This is a sensitive issue; politicising it and misrepresenting facts is completely unfair.”