ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties will begin a peaceful sit-in in front of Parliament from today, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced, setting the stage 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.
Sources close to the former ruling party said the decision for the sit-in was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders in the capital, adding that the protest would continue until the jailed PTI founder is granted access and his treatment is ensured to the satisfaction of his party and his family.
Speaking to the media late at night, Achakzai, 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 rally would take place outside Parliament and remain peaceful.
He also made it clear that the alliance’s formal demands would be presented publicly at the sit-in itself. “We will present our demands tomorrow (Friday) at the protest,” he said.
The opposition leader added that the sit-in would continue indefinitely until those demands were accepted. He warned that responsibility for any mismanagement or escalation would fall on the government.
“If, God forbid, something bad happens, the government will be responsible,” he said.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), said the protest would begin peacefully on Friday morning.
The announcement of the sit-in comes after consultations between opposition parties, which have decided to gather lawmakers and supporters outside Parliament, according to sources familiar with the party. Sources further said that members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies were given directives to attend the sit-in, adding that the party’s central leadership would call for the rally at the main entrance of the Parliament House.
Imran, who has been in prison since August 2023, faces several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his ouster from power through the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Severe vision loss, report reveals
The protest focuses on concerns surrounding the imprisoned Imran, particularly regarding access to him and his medical treatment, especially after a seven-page report submitted to the Supreme Court revealed that he lost approximately 85% of 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 jailed former prime minister and submit a report on February 11.
The judicial directions came during the hearing of a case on the living conditions of the PTI founder 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 repeatedly drew the attention of prison authorities, but no action was taken until he suffered sudden vision loss, the report stated.
A specialist from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) eventually diagnosed a blood clot that caused significant damage, the report notes. His legal team noted that he was “deeply distressed” by this disability, noting that for months he only received eye drops that failed to improve his condition.
The government committed criminal negligence: opposition
Reacting to the report on Imran’s medical condition, opposition leaders criticized the government.
Addressing a joint press conference, Senate Opposition Leader and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (opposition alliance) Vice President Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that the PTI founder cannot see properly with the 15% vision he has.
Criticizing the authorities, Abbas, who is also the head of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), said: “The government committed criminal negligence.”
He said that the State determines the rights of everyone, including those of prisoners.
“We have a system in which people do not obtain political and economic rights,” he added.
The opposition leader in the Senate also criticized the authorities for denying meetings with the PTI founder in jail.
On the occasion, TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar expressed grave concern over the report of loss of vision in Imran’s right eye.
He urged the authorities to allow meetings between the ailing PTI founder and his family.
On the other hand, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan expressed concern over the jailed PTI founder’s health, alleging that the prison authorities did not address his eye condition promptly.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Aleema said that she had inquired about the PTI founder’s health from lawyer Salman Safdar. “Today my heart is touched; we did not treat well a man who was in prison for two and a half years,” he said.
Aleema Khan claimed that former superintendent of Adiala jail Abdul Ghafoor Anjum had been informed for the last three months about Imran Khan’s eye problem. “For three months he kept saying that [Imran Khan] “I couldn’t see,” he said, adding: “They [jail authorities] He had been observing for two weeks that his [Imran] Vision was affected.”
“[…] he [Imran] He is in jail today because the judiciary is not independent.”
Aleema also rejected reports of any possible transfer to Bani Gala, calling them “all lies” and said Imran has made it clear that he will not bow down to anyone.
On the other hand, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja alleged that a crime had been committed against the PTI founder. “A crime has been committed against him, and that crime was committed by Abdul Ghafoor Anjum,” he said.
He demanded immediate medical treatment from doctors trusted by Imran and his family. “There is no more space; the people of Pakistan will move on,” Raja said.
Salman Akram also called for hearings in the Toshakhana case and other cases involving the former prime minister to be scheduled without delay.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said prison authorities turned a deaf ear to Imran Khan’s repeated complaints about his eye infection.
“The PTI founder was taken to the hospital without trusting his personal doctor,” CM Afridi said, adding that the former prime minister received the injection at the hospital without consulting his family or personal doctor.
