PNN: The sit-in by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with protests continuing at two locations within the Red Zone of the federal capital.
The sit-in, held within the premises of Parliament, is being led by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, with Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas also present. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, party leader Asad Qaiser and several senators are also in attendance at the parliamentary demonstration.
A separate sit-in is simultaneously underway at the main gate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is present. Additional prison vans have been positioned outside the K-P House.
Meanwhile, a meeting is underway in the Opposition Chamber under the chairmanship of Achakzai. Raja Nasir Abbas, Barrister Gohar and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja are participating in the session, during which consultations are being held regarding the ongoing sit-in. The meeting is expected to determine the future course of action.
The ongoing sit-ins are linked to concerns over former premier and PTI founder Imran Khan’s health. The opposition lawmakers’ demonstration began on Friday and has continued despite government assurances.
Lawmakers, led by Achakzai and Abbas, have vowed their sit-in would not end until Imran is shifted for specialist care. Protesters have cited reports claiming his right-eye vision has deteriorated significantly and have demanded treatment in the presence of his family and personal physicians.
PTI rejects medical report
The federal government’s constituted medical board reported an improvement in Imran’s right-eye vision. The board, comprising two senior ophthalmologists, Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif, examined him at Adiala Jail on Sunday.
According to the two-page report, unaided vision in Imran’s right eye was recorded at 6/24 (partial), while the left eye measured 6/9. With glasses, vision improved to 6/9 (partial) in the right eye and 6/6 in the left. The report stated that the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and the cornea was clear, while noting mild vitreous haemorrhage at the edge of the right eye and moderate retinal haemorrhage in all four quadrants.
The report added that swelling in the macula of the right eye was subsiding, with macular thickness reduced from 550 to 350 microns.
The board outlined ongoing medication and treatment and recommended OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completing anti-VEGF therapy. However, it made no recommendation for Imran’s transfer to a hospital.
However, PTI leader Latif Khosa expressed concerns over Imran’s health and the secrecy surrounding his medical examination in a letter to Yahya Afridi, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), on Monday.
Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, also posted on X, saying: “We categorically reject all medical reports circulating in the media regarding Imran Khan,” adding that the former prime minister “must be urgently transferred to a proper medical facility, Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, where he shall be examined by qualified specialists under Dr Asim Yousuf’s supervision and in the presence of his family.”
“Tomorrow, we will be at Adiala Jail at 1:30pm, and we expect the authorities to allow us to meet Imran Khan, as this is his legal right,” Aleema said, adding that the family would hold a press conference outside the jail at 4.00pm after the meeting.
However, Rawalpindi has been placed on high security alert around Adiala Jail amid potential security concerns. Aleema’s attempt to reach the jail from Chakri Interchange was thwarted, with police stopping her and her sisters at Chakri Naka.
Checkposts have reportedly been established at five locations along Adiala Road, including at Chakri Interchange, Gorakh Pur, Factory Naka, Adiala Jail, and Dahgal. Heavy police contingents and prisoner vans are also deployed at each point, with authorities having taken full control at Marble Factory Naka.
Authorities have also imposed a ban on unrelated individuals entering the area, with five people already taken into custody, according to Rawalpindi Police.
Section 144 remains in effect across Rawalpindi, with authorities warning that any violations will result in immediate arrest.
Gohar speaks to media
Barrister Gohar, speaking to the media near Adiala Jail, said that all the complications surrounding Imran’s health stem from the denial of visitation rights. “Our last meeting with the founder was on October 16, there has been no meeting since,” he said, adding that had visits been allowed, PTI and Imran’s family would have known whether his health is improving or not.
Gohar stated, “they can write whatever they want in the reports, but until we see the Founder ourselves, we cannot be certain,” adding that the party and allies are standing firm and will not be satisfied until Imran’s treatment is properly done.
He said that on Achakzai’s directive, he and Raja Nasir Abbas had met with Dr Arif and Dr Nadeem Qureshi who briefed them, along with Dr Asim Yousuf and Dr Khurram Mirza, on Imran’s treatment. “The doctors told us that one eye is 6/6 and the other is 6/9,” he said, while stressing that PTI had neither called the report unsatisfactory nor fake. “Until we see the founder ourselves, we cannot be fully convinced, transparency and a meeting is the only solution,” he stated.
Further, Gohar said formal negotiations with the government had not yet begun, and that authority rested with Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas. On roads being blocked in K-P, he said it was regrettable and that the K-P government had never issued such an order; people had done so on their own.
Family, PTI leaders denied meeting with Imran
The designated time for a meeting with Imran passed without any access being granted. Neither family members nor any party leaders were permitted to meet him.
Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja departed from Marble Factory Naka after being turned away, while Aleema and her sisters were unable to proceed beyond Chakri Interchange. Police also executed arrest warrants for Aleema at Chakri Interchange, which she accepted.