In Parliament, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and lawyer Gohar Ali Khan maintained their sit-in that began after Friday prayers. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Tehreek-e-Tahfuz-Ayeen-e-Pakistan’s (TTAP) sit-in protest outside Parliament over the deteriorating health of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan entered its second day on Saturday, with leaders vowing to continue until he is shifted to Shifa International Hospital for urgent eye treatment.
At Parliament House, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and lawyer Gohar Ali Khan maintained their sit-in that began after Friday prayers, while KP CM Sohail Afridi and other PTI leaders continued their protest separately at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House. Numerous police contingents were still deployed in both places.
“Our sit-in continues and will continue,” Senate opposition leader Nasir Abbas told reporters, adding that their water and food supplies had been cut off. “But we will not give up,” he said.
Read: TTAP stages sit-in in front of Parliament and seeks admission of Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital
Federal police once again sealed the Red Zone on Saturday, keeping only Margalla Road open for entry. After conducting searches there, vehicles were allowed to proceed towards Shahrah-e-Dastoor, while Parliament House and D-Chowk remained closed for traffic. Police prisoner vans and armored vehicles were parked in front of both protest sites.
Aslam Ghauri, spokesperson of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), condemned what he called violence against the TTAP protest. “Honorable members of Parliament and the provincial assembly were dragged away,” Ghauri said, adding that those who confined the protesters inside Parliament also call themselves defenders of democracy.
“The mockery of democracy, the manipulation of the Constitution and the opposition to Islam are the distinctive characteristics of this government,” he said. “The false and forced government has gone mad in the fire of revenge.”
Read more: Government plans to transfer Imran to Islamabad
Ghauri demanded the immediate release of the arrested leaders and warned that the government’s behavior had eroded public trust in democracy. “It is because of these very actions of the government that there is anarchy in Balochistan and KP. Do the rulers want to spread this anarchy throughout the country?” asked.
The protests were sparked by a Supreme Court-ordered report revealing that Imran Khan has only 15% vision left in his right eye, allegedly due to medical complications while in custody at Adiala Jail.
Although the government has been defending the timeline of Khan’s medical treatment, the opposition continues to allege negligence and constitutional violations. The government appeared to be on the defensive after voices were raised from both sides of the divide demanding better treatment for the jailed former prime minister.
