Opposition vows to continue Parliament House sit-in until Imran Khan shifted to hospital

ISLAMABAD: Opposition alliance the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers said on Monday they would continue their sit-in at Parliament House until their demands over the health of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan are met.

The protest has stretched into its fourth day, as opposition leaders pressed for Khan’s transfer from Adiala jail to Al-Shifa Hospital for specialised eye treatment, a key demand that has become the focal point of the standoff with the government.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas were among those attending Monday’s demonstration inside the Parliament House compound.

Lawmakers gathered at the main gate, chanting slogans as they pledged to remain until their conditions were satisfied.

During a meeting of opposition members, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that the alliance’s next course of action was under consultation and reiterated their decision to continue the protest.

The group has demanded that Khan be allowed access to his personal physician and that family members be permitted to meet him in hospital.

The sit-in gained momentum after a medical report submitted on a Supreme Court deadline indicated that Khan has severely reduced vision in his right eye.

Protest leaders have rejected any transfer to a hospital without the involvement of his family and personal medical team.

Officials have said the government plans to form a medical board and shift Khan to a hospital for treatment, and a phone call between Khan and his sons was arranged on court orders.

But TTAP and PTI leaders said they would not suspend their sit-in until Khan’s demands were fully implemented.

Security forces remained deployed around the Red Zone area encompassing Parliament House and surrounding routes, while demonstrations also continued at Parliament Lodges and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House.

Earlier, a detailed medical report concerning Imran Khan was made public, outlining the findings of a recent eye examination and subsequent consultations with political leaders and personal physicians.

According to the report, Barrister Gohar Khan and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, where doctors briefed them extensively on the PTI founder’s health condition. His personal physicians, Dr Asim Yousaf and Dr Khurram Mirza, were also given a 25-minute telephonic briefing, after which they reportedly expressed satisfaction over the medical care being provided.