ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties will begin a peaceful sit-in outside Parliament from today, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai said, paving the way for a new round of political confrontation in the capital.
The decision was announced by Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Thursday evening.
The sources close to the former ruling party said the sit-in decision was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders in the capital, adding that the protest would continue until access was given to the jailed PTI founder and his treatment was ensured to the satisfaction of his party and his family.
Speaking to the media late in the night, 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 president Gohar Ali Khan and Asad Qaiser, said the protest would be held in front of Parliament and would remain peaceful.
He also clarified that the formal demands of the alliance would be presented publicly during the sit-in itself. “We will present our demands tomorrow (Friday) during the demonstration,” 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.
Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said the protest would begin peacefully on Friday morning.
The announcement of the sit-in followed consultations between opposition parties, which decided to gather lawmakers and their supporters in front of Parliament, according to sources close to the party. Sources further said that members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies have been given instructions to attend the sit-in, adding that the central leadership of the party will convene the protest at the main gate of Parliament.
Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, after his ouster from power by the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Severe vision loss, report reveals
The protest focuses on concerns over Imran’s imprisonment, particularly regarding access to and his medical treatment, particularly after a seven-page report submitted to the Supreme Court found that he had lost around 85% of the vision in his right eye.
On February 10, the SC had appointed PTI lawyer Salman Safdar as amicus curiae (friend of the court), directing him to meet the incarcerated former prime minister and submit a report on February 11.
The judicial directions came during the hearing of a case regarding 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 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 found him “deeply distressed” by this deficiency, noting that for months he had only received eye drops which did not improve his condition.
The government committed criminal negligence: opposition
Reacting to the report on Imran’s health, opposition leaders slammed the government.
Addressing a joint press conference, Leader of Opposition in the Senate and Vice President of opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the PTI founder cannot see properly with the 15 per cent vision he has.
Criticizing the authorities, Abbas, who is also the head of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), said: “The government has committed criminal negligence. »
He said the state determines the rights of everyone, including prisoners.
“We have a system in which people do not get political and economic rights,” he added.
The Opposition Leader in the Senate also slammed the authorities for refusing to meet the PTI founder in prison.
Speaking on the occasion, TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar expressed grave concerns over loss of vision in Imran’s right eye.
He urged authorities to allow meetings between the ailing PTI founder and his family.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has raised concerns over the health of the incarcerated PTI founder, alleging that the jail authorities failed to promptly treat his eye problem.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Aleema said she inquired about the health condition of the PTI founder from lawyer Salman Safdar. “Today my heart is shaken; we did not treat well a man who was imprisoned for two and a half years,” she said.
Aleema Khan claimed that the former superintendent of Adiala Prison, Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, was informed about Imran Khan’s eye problem in the last three months. “For three months, he kept repeating that he [Imran Khan] I couldn’t see,” she said, adding: “They [jail authorities] he had been monitoring for two weeks that his [Imran] eyesight was affected.
“[…] he [Imran] is in prison today because the judiciary is not independent.
Aleema also dismissed reports of a possible move to Bani Gala, calling them “all lies”, and said: Imran has made it clear that he will not bow down to anyone.
Meanwhile, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja alleged that a criminal offense was committed against the PTI founder. “A crime was committed against him, and this crime was committed by Abdul Ghafoor Anjum,” he said.
He demanded immediate medical treatment from doctors whom Imran and his family trusted. “There is no room now; the people of Pakistan will move forward,” Raja said.
Salman Akram also demanded that hearings in the Toshakhana case and other cases involving the former prime minister be scheduled without delay.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said prison authorities had 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.
