Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Thursday announced it will commence an “indefinite” sit-in outside Parliament from today (Friday) in a bid to secure access to incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Announcing the decision, TTAP head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, said the demonstration would continue until authorities provide medical treatment to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in accordance with the wishes of his party and family.
A day earlier, Khan’s lawyer and amicus curiae Salman Safdar, submitted a report in the Supreme Court in which the former premier claimed just 15% of his vision remained in his right eye. The disclosure has drawn outrage from the PTI and other opposition parties, who have demanded he be shifted to hospital for specialized treatment.
Achakzai maintained the sit-in would remain peaceful, adding a formal list of demands would be made public at the sit-in. “We will place our demands tomorrow (Friday) at the protest,” he said, warning that the responsibility for any mismanagement or escalation lay with the government. “If, God forbid, anything bad happens, the government will be responsible,” he said.
The announcement followed consultations between opposition parties, who have decided to gather lawmakers from the national and provincial assemblies for the sit-in.
During the press interaction, opposition leaders accused the government of “criminal negligence” over the deterioration in Khan’s vision.
Earlier, speaking to media, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan had likewise voiced concerns over her brother’s health. Alleging that former Adiala Jail superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum had delayed treatment for Khan’s eye ailment, she also rejected media speculation regarding her brother seeking house arrest over his health.
Addressing the same press conference, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi lamented that jail authorities had not listed to repeated complaints from Khan over his eye condition. “The PTI founder was taken to the hospital without taking his personal doctor into confidence,” he said, warning the party was considering all its “options.”
Dubbing Khan’s worsening health as a violation of human rights, he regretted that media and legal voices were not raising their voice for the PTI founder as they had for Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif when he was ailing while in incarcerated.
“We have to rise above politics and, on humanitarian and legal grounds, raise our voices for him,” he said.
In a subsequent official statement posted on X, the PTI voiced “profound concern and deep anguish” over the report outlining Khan’s health. “We strongly condemn the treatment meted out to Imran Khan, particularly with regard to the serious deterioration of his eyesight,” it said. “The report has laid before the nation facts that are sufficient to shake the conscience of every Pakistani,” it maintained, claiming jail authorities had downplayed the extent of Khan’s ailment and denied him access to his personal physicians.
“This constitutes a grave and inexcusable act of negligence. It is not merely a medical lapse; it amounts to playing with his life and health,” it alleged, vowing “no compromise” on the former prime minister’s health. “We will raise our voice against this injustice at every constitutional, legal, public, and international forum available to us. Should our legitimate demands remain unmet, we reserve the right to initiate a public movement,” it added.
“Any harm inflicted upon Imran Khan’s health will be accounted for,” it warned, adding it reserved the right to initiate legal proceedings against the former jail superintendent, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab prisons inspector general, the provincial prisons minister and “other responsible officials.”
The party demanded that Khan be provided “immediate and unrestricted access to his personal physicians and that, for specialized eye treatment, he be transferred without delay to a reputable hospital recommended by his medical team.” It also sought access for Khan to his legal team and family.
The PTI called on international human rights organizations and global institutions to “take notice” of Khan’s condition, alleging the prevailing situation fell into the realm of “mental and medical torture.” It further urged domestic media to highlight the issue as one of “human rights” and not a “political dispute.”