By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The opposition alliance expressed hope on Tuesday that family members of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan would be allowed to meet him, as a sit-in protest outside parliament entered its fifth day amid growing concerns over his health and demands for an independent medical examination.
The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), a coalition of opposition parties, decided to extend the demonstration, which began on Friday, for another day to gauge the government’s response to their call for access to Khan, whose eyesight has been the subject of conflicting reports following a medical check at Adiala jail on Sunday.
TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai said Tuesday was a scheduled meeting day for Khan, and two sit-in participants – Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan – were set to visit the jail, as their names were on the approved list. “Moreover, we are hoping that the meeting of all sisters or at least one of the family members will be allowed today,” Yousafzai said. “It will end the rumours about the health of Imran Khan, as they will directly hear from him and will share Khan sahib’s views regarding his health.”
He said allowing the meeting could help ease tensions if the recent medical report on Khan was accurate, but noted a history of mistrust. “It is a fact that during the last two years we have been deceived a number of times, due to which the level of trust has been reduced.” The family planned to meet Khan, after which his three sisters would address a press conference.
Yousafzai also said he had met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi the previous night, where they agreed to convene an evening meeting to decide on the next steps for the sit-in and broader movement. “During the meeting, we will consider the next phase of our sit-in and movement.”
Khan’s family and party associates had been denied visits for weeks until the Supreme Court intervened last week, allowing PTI lawyer Salman Safdar to see him. Safdar later submitted a report to the court quoting Khan as saying he had only 15 percent vision left in his right eye due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). That report triggered outrage from the opposition, prompting the sit-in at Parliament House demanding Khan’s treatment and examination.
The medical document, circulated on social media and reported by local outlets but not officially released by the government, said Khan’s unaided vision was 6/24 in the right eye and 6/9 in the left, improving to 6/9 (partial) and 6/6 with glasses. It stated he was examined by Prof. Nadeem Qureshi of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital and Prof. M. Arif of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, and that his personal physicians were briefed afterward. PTI and Khan’s family rejected the medical report from Sunday’s examination, insisting he be transferred to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for checks by his personal doctors.
Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum said in a statement: “We categorically REJECT all the medical reports circulating in the media regarding Imran Khan.” “As Dr Asim Yousuf stated in his video, there is NO way for us to verify any of this,” she said. “Now we are even more concerned and worried, and our demand remains unchanged: Imran Khan 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.”
Officials, however, maintained Khan’s condition had improved, with treatment decisions left to doctors and courts. “His eye [condition] has improved and is better than before,” State Minister Tallal Chaudry told reporters on Monday. “The Supreme Court of Pakistan is involved, and doctors are involved. What medicine he receives, whether he needs to be hospitalized or sent home, these decisions are made by doctors. Neither lawyers nor any political party will decide this.”
Khan’s health issues have fueled protests, including road blockades in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where his party holds power, and the sit-in in Islamabad. The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday ordered the provincial government and police to reopen roads blocked by PTI supporters for four days, demanding Khan’s transfer to hospital. Protesters had blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1) at Swabi’s Anbar Interchange, GT Road at Khairabad Bridge, Dera Ismail Khan-Bhakkar Road, Lakki Marwat-Mianwali Road, Hazara Motorway at Abbottabad-Havelian Interchange, Kohat-Pindi Road near Khushal Garh and Upper Kohistan-Gilgit Karakoram Highway. “Reopen the roads and ensure the same,” Justice Anwar ordered, requiring reports from the IG and chief secretary by Wednesday.
Khan, a former cricket captain who led Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, was ousted in a no-confidence vote and jailed since August 2023 on charges he calls politically motivated.
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