Minister says Imran to be shifted to hospital amid opposition sit-in at

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Saturday that the government had decided to shift PTI founder Imran Khan to a hospital, while the opposition continued its sit-in at Parliament House over concerns regarding the ex-premier’s health.

In a post on X, the minister said, “Imran Khan has been given the facility to talk to his sons on the phone and considering his health, it has also been decided to shift him to the hospital and form a medical board.”

“The government prioritises humanitarianism and legal requirements. It is the government’s responsibility to provide facilities to every prisoner according to the law,” he said.

“There should be no politics on a sensitive issue like health. PTI should avoid baseless propaganda or political point scoring. The government is fulfilling its responsibilities. Instead of politicising this issue, show national seriousness and tolerance,” he said.

Shortly before Chaudhry, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that further medical treatment of Imran would be carried out by eye specialists at a specialised medical institution.

“Pursuant to ongoing eye treatment of Imran Khan, further checkup and treatment will be done in a specialised medical facility by the best eye specialists.

“A detailed report thereof will also be submitted to the Supreme Court. Conjecture, speculations and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and mileage for vested interests may please be avoided,” he said.

The development came as parliamentarians from opposition parties, under the banners of PTI and Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), continued their sit-in at Parliament House and KP House in Islamabad on Saturday for a second day, demanding that PTI founder Imran Khan be immediately moved to a hospital for treatment.

The sit-in was announced after the Supreme Court (SC) was informed on Thursday that Imran’s right eye had only 15 per cent vision remaining, prompting a strong response from the party.

The protest is being led by TTAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and other prominent leaders, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Ali Zafar, Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar, and others.

PTI stalwart and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said that although he appreciated the announcement by the government, the sit-in would not be called off until Imran was moved to Shifa International Hospital and a family physician was included in the medical board.

“It is unfortunate that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, Parliament was locked down,” Qaiser told Dawn.

TTAP Spokesperson Akhunzada Yousufzai told Dawn that taking the PTI founder to the hospital was a principled stance.

“We will not accept it if efforts are made to shift Imran to [the] Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Moreover, we want a family physician in medical board,” he stated.

However, another opposition leader said that it did not believe the statements by government ministers.

“They have contacted us, but they have nothing in their hands and cannot take a decision. We will wait for the final outcome,” he said.

In a post on X, Achakzai said that the sit-in would continue until Imran was “provided with medical facilities from eye specialists in the presence of his family and personal physician”.

Separately, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, in a video posted by TTAP on X, said they had been informed that a phone call between Imran and his sons was arranged and that there was “willingness” to shift the ex-premier to Shifa International Hospital.

“If it is so, then there should be no delay … why the delay?” he asked. Raja said that the delay was directly related to the “anger” of the party and its workers.

‘Parliament turned into a prison’

Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said on Saturday that Parliament House had been turned into a “prison”.

“We have been inside Parliament since yesterday. We wanted to go outside but all the gates were closed,” he said in a video posted by TTAP on X.

“Parliament and its premises have been turned into a prison; it is condemnable.”

“We are not armed. We are standing here with nothing but our ethics and the strength of the truth,” he added.

The Senate opposition leader noted that Imran, like other prisoners, had rights and that “90 per cent” of Pakistanis — both here and abroad — were expressing concerns over the PTI founder’s health.

In a post on X, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja said the Parliament House, Parliament Lodges, and the KP House “had been turned into a jail”.

Demanding that they “be set free”, the senior PTI leader alleged that the state was “terrified” of them taking to the streets.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in an earlier post on X that the sit-in had entered its second day, adding that the opposition leaders were “trapped” inside Parliament House.

“We also remained inside Parliament House the entire night,” he said, adding that the PTI and TTAP leadership was “exhausted from hunger”.

“The police did not allow dinner at night and now breakfast in the morning to be taken inside,” Akram claimed.

TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai told Dawn that the sit-in was continuing at both locations. He said it was unfortunate that even breakfast was not being allowed inside Parliament and added that no one was being allowed to enter the premises.

“On the other hand, those who are in Parliament are not being allowed to come out. The sit-in will continue until TTAP’s demand is accepted,” he said.

According to Yousafzai, PTI Senator Falak Naz Chitrali was feeling unwell since last night.

Yousafzai, criticising the government for not contacting the protesters, said TTAP Vice Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas was also attending the sit-in.

PTI leader Shandana Gulzar, speaking to the media, said it was unfortunate that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi gave four days to have Imran examined by a team of doctors.

She questioned whether the same time frame would have been given if it were the chief justice’s daughter or Nawaz Sharif. “The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister is staging a sit-in at KP House and protesting against the government’s unjust behaviour. We are demanding that Imran Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital.”

She alleged that the government was waiting for further damage to Imran’s eye.

Gulzar further said that the police had manhandled the parliamentarians and other leaders of the opposition.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) spokesperson Aslam Ghauri, in a statement, condemned the “violence” against the TTAP protest outside Parliament.

“Respected members of Parliament and provincial assemblies were dragged,” he said, adding that those who had “trapped the protesters inside Parliament call themselves democratic”.

“Making a mockery of democracy, playing around with the Constitution and going against Islam are the actions of this government,” he alleged, quipping that the “fake forced government had gone mad in the fire of revenge”.

The JUI-F leader demanded that all detained leaders be immediately released.

He blamed the government’s attitude for the anarchy in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Do the rulers want to spread this anarchy across the country?” he asked.