PTI leaders, legislators and workers camp outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Photo: Sabah
ISLAMABAD:
A day-long sit-in outside the Supreme Court by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Friday managed to secure assurances that authorities would provide a medical report of jailed leader Imran Khan to his family.
After staging several hours of protest outside Adiala Jail on Thursday night, PTI leaders gathered outside the high court on Friday to denounce the government for keeping them in the dark about their leader’s health.
The protest, led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, was aimed at ensuring that Imran Khan’s personal doctors could assess his health after Information Minister Atta Tarar confirmed the other day that Imran was taken to Islamabad hospital for a procedure related to his eye treatment.
That sparked a strong reaction from the PTI when they staged a sit-in after Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for treatment, without any prior information being shared with his family or lawyers. The PTI expressed concern over the lack of access to adequate medical care, alleging that the government had withheld information about the condition of the former Prime Minister.
Salman Akram Raja, who had been present in front of the Supreme Court since early morning, said that while obtaining the medical report was a step forward, it was not entirely satisfactory. “Nothing is more important to the party than the health of our founding president.”
He also held a 30-minute meeting with Chief Justice Yahya Afridi during which the PTI’s concerns were raised. The Chief Justice, along with the Attorney General and the Registrar of the Supreme Court, assured that the medical reports would be provided to Imran Khan and his sisters, and that his personal doctors would have access to him once the reports were received.
After the assurances, the PTI decided to suspend the sit-in in front of the Supreme Court.
The party general secretary noted that the fight outside the Supreme Court was both a moral and legal battle, adding that Imran Khan had been taken to a hospital and examined by doctors against his will.
“The fight for the rights of the PTI founder, including meetings with his family and legal team, will continue,” he said.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi told the media that the party had initially planned to decide its future course of action based on the court’s decision on whether Imran Khan’s personal doctor would be allowed to meet him for a medical check-up.
“Now we have received an answer and it is no. After this, we have called a meeting of our political committee, where the future course of action will be decided,” he said.
“Whatever is decided in the political committee will be presented to you. We condemn and are angry at everything that has happened in the last two days. People must pay attention and act wisely.
The party later called a meeting of its political committee at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House to discuss next steps, including broader protest strategies. The KP CM emphasized that the political committee, in consultation with opposition leaders, would finalize the party’s future course of action.
Following a joint meeting of the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan Political Committee and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Political Committee, Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan chief and opposition leader Mahmood Achakzai declared that February 8 would be a “decisive and historic day for the survival of the nation, the supremacy of the Constitution and the release of democratic leader Imran Khan.”
He stressed that on this day it was essential to demonstrate the unity of all national and democratic forces and guarantee solid public action.
On Thursday, after days of speculation, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Imran had undergone a medical procedure for an eye ailment at PIMS on Saturday night. This was the first time Imran Khan had been brought out of Adiala Jail since his arrest in August 2023, following convictions in multiple cases.
Soon after the minister’s confirmation, KP Chief Minister Afridi, accompanied by other members of the provincial cabinet, reached Adiala Road, but the police did not allow them to pass the factory checkpoint. Afridi demanded that the PTI founder be allowed to meet his family, party members and lawyers to “avoid further deterioration of the situation”.
Afridi announced the sit-in after PTI leaders were denied a meeting with Imran Khan. He stressed that every person has the right to be treated by their personal doctor and invited all provincial assembly members to join, strengthening the demand.
PTI leaders said the founder’s personal doctors were on their way to Adiala jail on Thursday night, but it was unclear whether authorities would allow them to see him. Party members called the doctors’ access “a matter of basic humanity” and said they would remain if they were denied permission.
The late-night sit-in outside Adiala jail was later called off around 2:30 am, after Salman Akram Raja said a petition had been filed before a trial court seeking permission to meet Imran Khan in jail and announced plans to approach the Supreme Court to file a memorandum on the matter.
