By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: An opposition alliance has called off its sit-in outside parliament on Wednesday after reports of a slight improvement in jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s eyesight, but demanded the government allow his personal doctors to examine him and permit family visits.
The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), a grouping that includes Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, had been protesting for days over what it described as negligence in treating Khan’s eye condition while he is held in Adiala jail. Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas told reporters in Islamabad that there had been a minor improvement in Khan’s condition, but criticised the government for not consulting his family or personal physicians. “Thanks to God, there is a minor improvement compared to the situation before, when the vision had gone completely — just a little bit,” Abbas said, flanked by National Assembly opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
He stressed that Khan’s longtime doctors, Dr Aasim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan, should be allowed to examine him, and called the family’s demand for treatment at Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital “genuine” because of its independent staff. “Therefore, as the month of Ramazan is also beginning, we will end our sit-in that we were staging in the parliament,” Abbas said. “And in the next stage, we can take different measures as TTAP and we will do so as we have time.”
Abbas added that if the government wanted to resolve the issue, which had drawn international concern, it must allow witnesses and access. “When Imran Khan sahib has said he has concerns, then it means there are concerns,” he said, urging jail meetings with Khan’s sisters. He called on the public to pray for Khan’s recovery and described earlier reports of vision loss as “extremely worrying,” accusing Adiala jail staff of failing to provide timely care. “This was a crime. God-willing, we are about to approach the court about this,” Abbas said.
Earlier, TTAP leaders attended a Supreme Court hearing on Khan’s cases to show solidarity. TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai said they might announce further protest strategies and address a crackdown on PTI supporters. The alliance shared a video of Achakzai speaking to Khan’s sister Aleema Khan inside the court premises.
Before the hearing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi met Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khanum to discuss his health, legal matters and other challenges, according to PTI. In court, the Supreme Court again denied PTI leader Latif Khosa a meeting with Khan and indefinitely adjourned several cases. A three-member bench led by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, with Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard petitions on Khan’s poll eligibility and other matters. Khosa requested a meeting, but Justice Kakar said: “You have taken away the power of taking suo motu notice from us. How can we order a meeting in a criminal case?” Justice Panhwar questioned issuing directives in an unfixed case, and the bench dismissed the request.
In another development, Chief Minister Afridi announced a “Free Imran Khan Force” for a peaceful movement to secure Khan’s release. Addressing reporters outside the Supreme Court, Afridi said a public movement was unavoidable after violations of court directives, per a PTI post on X. The force would offer memberships to youth nationwide, including professionals, Insaf Students Forum members, and PTI’s youth, women and minority wings. “The Free Imran Khan Force will wage a completely peaceful struggle. After his release, Imran Khan will himself dissolve the force,” Afridi said.
He said membership cards would be ready in four to five days, with oaths in Peshawar after Eidul Fitr. The force would have a chain of command decided by Khan, aiming for constitutional supremacy, democracy and independent media. Early Wednesday, TTAP issued five demands: immediate access for Drs Yusuf and Sultan to examine Khan independently; sharing certified medical reports; authority for independent opinions without government pressure; regular follow-ups; and written clarification on delays in treatment with assurances against repetition.
“The matter of Imran’s health is not political, but a requirement of human and constitutional responsibility,” TTAP said, rejecting delays or excuses. Family and party leaders have been blocked from most jail visits. On Feb. 10, the Supreme Court allowed Safdar to meet Khan, who reported 15% vision in his right eye after a Jan. 24 procedure. A Feb. 15 medical report said unaided vision was 6/24 partial in the right eye and 6/9 in the left, improving to 6/9 partial and 6/6 with glasses. But Khan’s family and TTAP rejected it, demanding access for Dr Yusuf and relatives.
Khan, 73, a former cricket star, has been jailed since August 2023 on convictions he says are politically motivated after his 2022 ouster in a no-confidence vote he claims was orchestrated by rivals with military backing, denied by the government and armed forces. PTI alleges authorities are sidelining Khan, with broadcast restrictions on his name, speeches and images; only one court photo is public. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said PTI leaders and Khan’s doctors were satisfied with treatment, but Aleema Khan was politicising it. Pakistan has seen months of confrontation between PTI and the government, with protests and court battles.Tensions rose recently over Khan’s health.
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